Prevention of infectious diseases during the rainy season

The rainy and stormy season is the time when dangerous infectious diseases such as dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease, Covid-19 and diseases transmitted through the digestive tract such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, pink eye, etc. Faced with the risk of increasing epidemics, the province has proactively implemented many solutions, mobilizing the participation of all levels, sectors, localities and the entire population in disease prevention and control, especially during the peak of the rainy and stormy season.

Staff of Don Nhan Commune Health Station (Song Lo) instruct people on spraying insecticide to kill mosquitoes. Photo: Duong Chung

According to data from the Provincial Center for Disease Control, in the first 6 months of 2025, the whole province recorded 227 cases of Covid-19, 93 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, and 15 cases of dengue fever.

In general, the epidemic situation is under control, but in reality, many dengue fever outbreaks have appeared in some districts of Yen Lac and Vinh Tuong. This shows that the risk of an epidemic outbreak is always present and the urgent requirement is to continue to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, detect cases early and handle them thoroughly right from the start.

Based on the advice of the health sector, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a document directing the strengthening of prevention and control of dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease, Covid-19 and epidemics during the rainy and stormy season.

In particular, it emphasizes the implementation of general environmental sanitation campaigns in residential areas, clearing bushes, and handling objects that can retain water, where Aedes mosquitoes can breed, which is the main intermediary for transmitting dengue fever. Along with that, disease vector surveillance activities are stepped up; the anti-epidemic mobile teams of the province and districts and cities are always ready to support lower-level medical facilities when requested.

Along with preventing and fighting dengue fever, the provincial health sector proactively coordinates with the Department of Education and Training to strictly control hand, foot and mouth disease, a disease that often appears in the summer and spreads quickly in nurseries and kindergartens.

Currently, schools are strengthening the hygiene of classrooms, school grounds, toys, and learning tools; staff, teachers, and school health workers are trained in early recognition of disease symptoms to take timely isolation measures, preventing the spread of the disease in the community. Disease prevention propaganda activities are also flexibly and regularly integrated into classroom meetings and children's collective activities.

Regarding the Covid-19 epidemic, although the epidemic situation has been basically controlled, disease surveillance work is still maintained regularly, especially during the peak tourist season, when the epidemic is easily spread and outbreaks. Recommendations on personal prevention such as wearing masks in public places, washing hands regularly, maintaining personal hygiene, improving physical fitness and proper nutrition continue to be widely disseminated.

People are advised to proactively monitor their health. If they have suspicious symptoms such as fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, they should immediately go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

Besides dangerous infectious diseases, the rainy season is also a favorable time for diseases transmitted through the digestive tract to arise due to polluted water sources or unsanitary conditions.

The provincial health sector recommends that people eat cooked food, drink boiled water, wash their hands properly before eating and after using the toilet, and store food safely. In particular, the Department of Health has directed medical facilities to proactively review and stockpile enough medicines, chemicals, and epidemic prevention equipment; and arrange forces and means to be ready to respond to emergency situations.

Along with medical expertise, propaganda and raising awareness for people is also identified by the province as a key task. Every year, the Department of Health closely coordinates with press agencies, local broadcasting systems, and socio -political organizations to increase the dissemination of information on signs of infectious diseases and effective and easy-to-implement prevention methods right at home.

Communication forms are innovated in a diverse, flexible and suitable direction for each target group and residential area, with special priority given to disadvantaged areas, remote areas, ethnic minorities. In addition, social media channels, leaflets, billboards, posters, etc. are also fully exploited to spread disease prevention messages quickly, effectively and easily accessible.

To promote the effectiveness of epidemic prevention measures, authorities at all levels have also developed specific response plans according to the "4 on-site" motto, deployed synchronously from the provincial level to each village and residential group. Environmental sanitation campaigns, eliminating mosquito habitats, and communicating epidemic prevention for each group of diseases and each time have been deployed systematically and continuously in the community.

With the motto “prevention is better than cure”, the province is gradually improving its capacity to monitor, forecast and respond quickly to epidemics, while continuing to strengthen a strong preventive health system right from the grassroots. Thereby contributing to early detection and timely handling of outbreaks as soon as they appear, limiting widespread spread and minimizing health and economic damage to the people.

Minh Nguyet

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/130070/Phong-chong-cac-benh-truyen-nhiem-mua-mua-bao