Vietnam: symposium on dengue warns about risks of the disease

At the symposium “Global and Vietnamese practical experiences in dengue vaccine implementation”, co-hosted by the Vietnam Paediatric Association and Takeda Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City last month, experts warned that dengue is becoming a permanent public health threat, with rising financial costs for patients and medical authorities. The symposium saw the participation of leading healthcare professionals in dengue fever prevention, control, and treatment. During the event, Associate Professor Dr. Do Duy Cuong, director of the Centre for Tropical Diseases at the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, said that there is no specific treatment for the disease, and its progression in patients is complex and unpredictable, with healthy individuals experiencing rapid deterioration and requiring accelerated intensive care treatment to survive. Patients may also suffer long-term consequences, with post-recovery complications such as fatigue, sleep problems, joint pain, and depression. These symptoms can linger for weeks, or even months, after recovering from the disease.
At the symposium, experts also warned about the costs of severe dengue cases, which often require months of treatment and an average expense of VND 1 billion ($40,000) per case. According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, director of Children’s Hospital 1 and vice president of the Vietnam Paediatric Association, a severe dengue case can put immense pressure on healthcare institutions, due to the rapid deterioration of the patient’s conditions. The Ministry of Health recommends hospitalization for close monitoring, especially for high-risk groups such as the elderly or people with chronic illness, to ensure early detection and avoid complications. The unpredictability of dengue is also due to the increasing complexity of the disease, intensified by the effects of climate change. Professor Dr. Vu Sinh Nam, senior advisor on Dengue Fever at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, noted that dengue is no longer confined to Vietnam’s southern regions, spreading across all the country’s provinces and even in remote mountainous areas. Some years there are large outbreaks, while others show limited and localized flare-ups. This complicates prevention and containment efforts.
Amid the complex and unpredictable development of the disease, experts urged a holistic approach to effective prevention, including targeted measures against Aedes mosquitoes and public education on the virus. On this point, Benjamin Ping, general manager of Takeda Vietnam, confirmed his company’s commitment to supporting Vietnam’s fight against dengue through vaccination and close cooperation with healthcare partners to broaden vaccine access and reduce the impact of the disease.