The Central Vietnam, including 15 provinces/cities (11 provinces/cities in the Central coastal area and 4 provinces in the West Highland), is the region with many favourable natural and social conditions for the development of epidemic diseases, especially malaria and dengue fever. In the first 9 months of 2010, malaria situation tended to decrease significantly, but dengue fever increased drastically in most of provinces.
Malaria situation
Malaria morbidity
The whole region reported a 0.09% higher (14,872/14,859) in the number of malaria cases including the Central Coastal area 13.74% up and the West Highland 17.73% lower.
6 over 15 provinces with incresased rates of malaria morbidity included Quang Nam (206.66%), Phu Yen (30.21%), Da Nang (28.57%), Khanh Hoa (8.05%), Quang Ngai (4.94%) and Binh Dinh (4.63%).
9 over 15 provinces with decreased rates of malaria patients included Thua Thien-Hue (-1.59%), Quang Tri (-7.17%), Gia Lai (-33.44%), Binh Thuan (-23.73%), Dak Nong (-8.84%), Ninh Thuan (-17.86%), Quang Binh (-13.51%), Kon Tum (-5.30%) and Dak Lak (-2.05%).
Malaria parasites
The malaria parasite rates in the whole region, as compared with the same period of 2009, increased by 13.20%, with the Central Coastal area 27.16% higher, the West Highland 8.68% lower.
8 over 15 provinces with increased rates of malaria parasites included Quang Nam (253.65%), Kon Tum (126.34%), Da Nang (66.93%), Binh Thuan (63.75%), Quang Ngai (39.23%), Phu Yen (27.86%), Dak Lak (26.60%) and Binh Dinh (22.09%).
7 over 15 provinces with decreased rates of malaria parasites included Quang Tri (-55.07%), Gia Lai (-38.81%), Thua Thien-Hue (-28.98%), Ninh Thuan (-24.86%), Quang Binh (-24.11%), Dak Nong (-8.91%) and Khanh Hoa (-2.40%).
Severe and complicated malaria
The whole region had 63 severe malaria cases, decreasing by 4.55% compared with the same period of 2009, including the Central coastal area 26.19% lower, the West Highland 33.33% up.
Malaria death
In first 9 months of 2010, the whole region had 4 deaths from malaria, decreasing by 55.56% against the same period of 2009.
Malaria epidemic
There was no malaria outbreak in the whole region.
Forecast of malaria situation
After 15 months of continuous increase, malaria situation tended to decrease distinctly, especially in the West Highland; however, malaria indices decreased unstably and can increase anytime, mainly in mobilised people (people going to work in the forests, sleeping in the field huts and crossing the border).
Malaria control activities
Confronted with the situation of malaria cases increasing continuously in the first months of 2010, the Institute sent the document to the provinces of the Central Vietnam to warn and direct surveillance activities in severely-hit areas. The leaderships of the IMPE Quy Nhon together with its involved departments deployed the malaria control campaign for severely-hit provinces of the West Highland (Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong) and some of provinces of Central Vietnam (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa).
To strengthen health communication and education for malaria control with appropriate measures for every area such as the launching ceremony on propagating "World Malaria Day 25 April" in Thua Thien-Hue province on the occasion of the birthday centenary of Prof. Dang Van Ngu, the "Competition on malaria control knowledge for ethnic minorities" at the districts of Minh Hoa (Quang Binh province) and An Lao (Binh Dinh province).
Dengue fever situation
In the first 9 months of 2010, in 11 provinces of the Central coastal area (from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan), there were 21,842 cases of dengue fever, increasing 170.42% and 12 deaths, increasing 71.42% against the same period of 2009.
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Dengue fever patients were being treated in a hospital. |
In the first 8 months of 2010, in 4 provinces of the West Highland (Gia Lai, Kom Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong), there were 7,648 cases of dengue fever, increasing 11 times against the same period of last year and 4 deaths, increasing 300% against the same period of 2009. The morbidity cases increased drastically from June to August 2010, especially in Dak Lak.
The prediction of dengue fever situation
During the first 8 months of 2010, dengue fever situation in Central Vietnam continued to increase complicatedly, with Da Nang city always having high rate of morbidity. Khanh Hoa is the province having the highest number of dengue cases. In the West Highland, rate of dengue fever morbidity increased unexpectedly due to the change of climate, with Dak Lak and Gia Lai having high rate of morbidity. At present, the rainy season together with hot and humid weather are facilitating the strong development of mosquitoes, making high rate of dengue fever patients; however, dengue fever indexes can decrease at the beginning of November when mosquitoes growth slows down, especially in cold season.
Dengue fever control activities
Confronted with the increasing and spreading situation of dengue fever outbreaks in many provinces of the Central Vietnam, Ministry of Health sent the Document No.6418/BYT-DP on the implementation of the urgent Notice No.1668/CD-TTg of the Prime Minister. on 29 September2010, the IMPE Quy Nhon held the meeting on the guidance of dengue fever control, assigned the surveillance missions to coordinate with the Health Services, the provincial centres for preventive medicine in controling and preventing the spread of the epidemic.
From 1 to 16 of October 2010, the missions coordinated with the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Tay Nguyen, Health Services, the provincial centres for preventive medicine of the Central coastal area (Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen and Binh Dinh) and the West Highlands (Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum) to implement control activities and control dengue fever patients in former niduses; carry out the surveillance of dengue vector and the use of chemical for dengue fever control; actively exterminate mosquito lavae and predict dengue fever situation in the last 3 months of 2010 to report to the Department of Preventive Medicine.