The Ministry of Health has requested localities across the country work closely with relevant sectors and organisations to implement drastic measures to prevent dengue and hand-foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks.

In the first two months of this year, increased disease incidence rates were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, the southern provinces of Dong Nai, An Giang, Long An, Tien Giang, Can Tho, Soc Trang, Dong Thap, Tay Ninh and Ca Mau, northern Hai Phong and Hanoi cities, and central Khanh Hoa and Da Nang province.

The ministry is warning the community of high outbreak risk for the two diseases as a result of the long-lasting humid weather.

It stressed that vulnerable localities must take appropriate preventive measures, focusing on solutions to ensure environmental sanitation and exterminate mosquitoes and mosquito larva.

Local-level medical departments across 63 provinces and cities were urged to closely monitor the situation, swiftly detect cases and address disease hotbeds. They must also prepare equipment, facilities and medicine to serve the prevention and treatment of these diseases to curb the spread.

The education and training sector was requested to focus on containing dengue and hand-foot-and-mouth diseases in education establishments, especially nursery schools

The health sector is also enhancing communication campaigns to raise public awareness of the diseases, especially in vulnerable areas, while interdisciplinary task forces will work to inspect, manage and support disease prevention.-VNA