HCMC: Infectious disease increased by 221%, hospital ready to expand beds

(Dan Tri) - Recently, dengue fever has spread and broken out strongly in Ho Chi Minh City. The Department of Health has directed hospitals to be ready to expand hospital beds to respond to the emergency situation.

The information was delivered by Dr. Huynh Minh Chin, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, at the launching ceremony of the 2025 Campaign to Kill Mosquitoes and Larvae to Prevent and Control Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Diseases, which took place on the morning of August 26.

Specifically, statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) show that from the beginning of 2025 to now, Ho Chi Minh City after the merger has recorded over 26,000 cases of dengue fever, an increase of more than 221% over the same period.

In the past week alone, there were over 2,000 new cases, of which 74% were severe and 8% showed dangerous warning signs.

Doctor Chin assessed that these are alarming numbers. Faced with this situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has directed the implementation of many comprehensive solutions.

BSCK2 Huynh Minh Chin spoke at the ceremony (Photo: Contributor).

Specialized hospitals, general hospitals, children's hospitals and medical facilities have improved training, guidance and treatment methods; ready to expand hospital beds to respond to emergency situations.

Regarding epidemic prevention, the health sector has strengthened monitoring and handling of outbreaks, provided training for grassroots health workers, from clinics to specialized doctors, and promoted multimedia communication to make it easier for people to access epidemic prevention information.

Epidemiological surveillance and outbreak handling have been strengthened, while multimedia communication activities have also been promoted to help people easily access information and proactively prevent the epidemic.

In addition to dengue fever, the health sector also warns of chikungunya. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has not recorded any cases of chikungunya. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment, the most effective measure is still to kill mosquitoes and larvae.

Since 2021, the health sector has coordinated with departments, sectors and the community to implement many general environmental sanitation campaigns and communication campaigns to prevent dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease and chikungunya, bringing about remarkable results.

In 2025, this campaign will continue to be maintained, in coordination with 168 People's Committees of wards and communes to carry out mosquito and larvae eradication, making this activity a regular habit of every family and citizen.

Doctor Chin calls on each family to take the time to check and remove mosquito larvae in water containers, collect waste, clean tanks, and coordinate with local health authorities in spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes.

In addition, people also need to maintain the habit of washing hands with soap to prevent many other infectious diseases.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/tphcm-mot-benh-truyen-nhiem-tang-221-benh-vien-san-sang-mo-rong-giuong-20250826135308934.htm