HANOI, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Dengue fever and encephalitis have broken out in Vietnam earlier than previous years, with many cases of infections and fatalities reported in the capital of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and some other localities.
In Hanoi's Dong Da urban district, some 500 people have been infected with dengue fever so far this year, nearly nine times higher than the same period last year, the municipal Preventive Medicine Center said on Thursday, adding that the infections in some other districts increased by five to seven times.
Ho Chi Minh City has reported 329 dengue fever cases in the past three weeks, including three deaths, with higher infection and fatality rates compared to the same period last year.
According to local preventive medicine centers, the key reason for the surge in dengue fever infections is the early coming of rainy season which has created favorable conditions for mosquitoes to breed and grow.
Besides dengue fever, encephalitis is hitting many people, especially children in Hanoi. The city-based National Hospital of Pediatrics treated 176 encephalitis patients, including 24 cases of Japanese encephalitis.
Japanese encephalitis, a serious disease spread through mosquito bites, has symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting, confusion, difficulty moving, swelling around the brain and coma.
In Vietnam's southwestern region, thousands of dengue fever and encephalitis infections were detected in the first six months of this year. The Can Tho Pediatrics Hospital in southern Can Tho city reported 1,000 dengue fever and 40 encephalitis cases.
