Published Date: 2007-02-27 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/MBDS> Dengue - Viet Nam: vector increases, alert, RFI
Archive Number: 20070227.0702

DENGUE - VIET NAM: VECTOR INCREASES, ALERT, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: 27 Feb 2007
From: PRO/MBDS <promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
Source: Thanh Nien [edited]
<http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=25484>

Vietnam may face dengue fever outbreak: ministry
---------------------
Dengue fever is likely to resurface in Vietnam in April if the
burgeoning number of mosquitoes isn't curbed, the Ministry of Health
has warned.
In a note sent recently to 64 provinces and cities, the ministry
warned that Vietnam's mosquito population -- distributor of dengue
fever -- has increased dramatically recently.
The ministry said that if a dengue epidemic surfaced, death tolls
could overtake those of the 1998 outbreak, when over 400 people perished.
The ministry instructed all provinces and cities to disburse all
allocated funds to combat the fever.
On Sunday [25 Feb 2006], the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health
said it had dispatched personnel to the reportedly dengue fever-prone
districts 7, Binh Thanh, and Tan Phu to study the development of
mosquitoes there.
Health watchdogs have blamed stagnant wastewater and dense water
hyacinth (a water plant with blue flowers) for mushrooming mosquito
populations in the said districts.
Dengue fever is fatal in about 5 percent of cases, especially in
children and young adults.
[Source: Tuoi Tre - Compiled by An Dien]
--
PRO/MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
[There's a very interesting comment on the dengue situation in the
Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organiztion. (WPRO)
(available at <http://www.wpro.who.int/health_topics/dengue/general_info.htm>):
"Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever
-------------------
Dengue fever is a growing problem in the Western Pacific Region.
Unprecedented rapid urbanization has resulted in an increasing number
of people living in poor housing with lack of proper waste disposal
and inadequate drainage, creating favourable breeding conditions for
the mosquito vectors of dengue.
"Dengue occurs in most of the countries in the Region, inflicting
severe health and financial tolls on the populations affected. In
2004, more than 160 000 cases of dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever
were reported in the Region. Despite its significance, dengue
prevention and control activities are under-funded in many countries.
With appropriate levels of support, the risk of transmission can be
reduced and with it the associated morbidity and mortality. [at the
URL link provided for this information there is a good trend curve
showing annual cases of dengue with case fatality rates for the
period 1991--2004]
The vast majority of dengue cases are reported from South-East Asian
countries; Cambodia, Malaysia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic,
the Philippines and Viet Nam. Whereas dengue in these countries is
seasonal/endemic, with larger cyclical epidemics every 3 to 5 years,
dengue outbreaks in the countries of the South Pacific and Australia
are less predictable.
The major obstacles to preventing dengue epidemics in the Region
effectively are low preparedness, inadequate surveillance, lack of
funding and poor data. Currently, epidemiological data is reported
only annually. Information about dengue epidemics often comes 1st
from the media sources rather than from official notification and
many countries appear reluctant to make public or share information
with neighbouring countries because of the potential economic impact,
especially on tourism."
The last sentence in the above description is the most sobering as it
acknowledges the challenges to "transparency" in reporting on the
part of the official sectors, mentioning the economic impact of
reports of dengue, especially on tourism. There are weekly updates
on dengue activity around the world covered on the general
ProMED-mail list, with reports of dengue activity in the MBDS region
countries, especially Viet Nam. But almost all of these updates are
gotten from newswire reports and not from official sources.
Last year, by July 2006, there had been reports of approximately 20
000 cases of dengue in VietNam (see general ProMED-mail report
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (26) 20060713.1935) and 3000 cases in Ho Chi
Min city alone. Taking the observed case fatality rate of
approximately 0.4 percent (from the date presented on the WPRO graph
at <http://www.wpro.who.int/health_topics/dengue/general_info.htm>),
it suggests there may have been upwards of 80 deaths attributable to
dengue in VietNam by July 2006. (The most recent data available on
the WPRO website on dengue/DHF (dengue hemorrhagic fever) is 2004
when there were 78 669 cases reported with 114 deaths attributable to
dengue
<http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/D99ED7EB-BFCE-44CA-A979-7D444C7F68CA/0/Statistical_tables_2006.pdf>).
More information on the dengue situation in Viet Nam from
knowledgeable sources would be very much appreciated. - Mod.MPP]

See Also

The below postings with information on dengue fever in Viet Nam can
be found at the general ProMED-mail website < 20070207.0478
2006
-----
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (34) 20061006.2875
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (31) 20060911.2577
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (26) 20060713.1935
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (24) 20060624.1756
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (16) 20060415.1120
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (09) 20060304.0701
Dengue/DHF update 2006 (07) 20060216.0511
2005
-----
Dengue/DHF update 2005 (31) 20050927.2843
Dengue/DHF update 2005 (25) 20050818.2416
Dengue/DHF update 2005 (19) 20050708.1929
Dengue/DHF update 2005 (18) 20050701.1853
2004
-----
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (33): Viet Nam 20041023.2870
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (29) 20040918.2588
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (24) 20040807.2173
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (22) 20040722.2007
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (11) 20040408.0956
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (10) 20040401.0886
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (09) 20040324.0818
Dengue/DHF update 2004 (08) 20040313.0698
2003
-----
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (37) 20030922.2392
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (32) 20030812.1989
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (29) 20030721.1779
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (26) 20030630.1613
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (23) 20030609.1424
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (15) 20030414.0913
Dengue/DHF update 2003 (11) 20030317.0666
2002
-----
Dengue/DHF updates (32): 19 Aug 2002 20020821.5108
Dengue/DHF updates (24): 24 Jun 2002 20020625.4605
2001
-----
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam (03) 20011229.3128
Dengue/DHF updates (17): 1 Nov 2001 20011101.2699
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam (02) 20010924.2315
Dengue/DHF - Western Pacific Region 20010830.2053
Dengue/DHF updates (09): 15 Aug 2001 20010815.1924
Dengue/DHF updates (08): 31 Jul 2001 20010731.1505
Dengue/DHF updates (07): 23 Jul 2001 20010724.1449
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam 20010527.1033
1999
-----
Dengue, control effort - Vietnam 19990711.1167
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam 1998 summary 19990404.0539
1998
-----
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam (09) 19981103.2143
Dengue - Viet Nam 19980709.1294
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam (03) 19980513.0940
Dengue/DHF - Vietnam 19980429.0826
Dengue - Cambodia 19980215.0294
Dengue - Vietnam 19970905.1906
1997
-----
Dengue - Vietnam (05) 19970812.1674
Dengue - Vietnam 19970812.1671
1996
-----
Dengue - Vietnam (02) 19961106.1863
Dengue - Vietnam 19961029.1831
1995
-----
Dengue/DHF - Viet Nam 19951025.0981
................................mpp
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