Dengue outbreak in Danang is worse than previous years

This is unusual, Dr Nguyen Tam Lam, head of the Infectious Disease Control Department of the Danang Preventive Medicine Centre told reporters. There's always a peak in dengue fever cases but this year we are seeing an unusually high number of cases, 130-140 per week.

We have pulled out all the stops this dengue season including providing more medical care, raising public awareness in identifying dengue fever symptoms and preventing its spread, as well as eradicating possible breeding spots for mosquitoes.

But patients are still streaming into overcrowded hospitals that are stretched beyond capacity and struggling to cope, he noted.

Spread through mosquito bites, the dengue virus causes flu-like symptoms, and can occasionally develop into a severe form called dengue haemorrhagic fever. Its incidence worldwide has seen explosive growth in recent decades, according to the WHO — the dengue virus is now endemic in over 100 countries, with an estimated 390 million infections every year.

Right now, however, Dr Lam adds, we just don’t see an end to the current outbreak.