Health officials are working with local authorities to identify and contain outbreaks, support community health centres and encourage residents to take preventive measures.
Hospitals warn of severe complications
At Danang Hospital for Women and Children, medical staff have been treating children with dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease and influenza A.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Kieu, a resident of Duy Xuyen Commune, said her 13-year-old child was expected to be discharged after seven days of dengue treatment.
The family lives in a low-lying area where rainwater frequently accumulates, creating mosquito breeding sites. Kieu said they regularly remove standing water and clean their surroundings to reduce the risk of infection.
Another mother, Alang Thi Mau from the mountainous Hung Son Commune, said her child was recovering after treatment for recurring symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease.
Nguyen Thi Truc Ly, from Hai Chau Ward, said her child had been admitted with fever, rashes, mouth lesions and difficulty eating. The child's condition improved following treatment.
Dr Nguyen Hai Thinh, head of the hospital's Paediatric Tropical Medicine, Intensive Care and Pathology Department, said respiratory and infectious diseases were increasing as autumn turned to winter, with influenza A cases rising and dengue admissions up sharply.
The department receives around 50-100 outpatient visits daily and is treating approximately 100 inpatients, including 30-40 requiring close monitoring for signs of severe illness.
The hospital also receives critically ill patients transferred from mountainous areas and neighbouring localities.
Thinh warned parents not to assume that children have recovered simply because their fever has subsided.
Dengue fever can enter its most dangerous phase between the third and seventh day of illness, often when body temperature begins to fall.
He recalled a child who returned to school after their fever eased but later developed severe fatigue and was admitted with low blood pressure, requiring intensive care.
Parents should seek immediate medical attention if children develop severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, unusual bleeding or lethargy, he advised.
The hospital has also recorded influenza A cases involving cardiac and neurological complications, particularly concerning for young children and those with underlying conditions.
Meanwhile, hand, foot and mouth disease admissions have not increased significantly compared with the same period last year.
More than 5,600 dengue cases recorded
According to Dr Nguyen Dai Vinh, Director of the Danang Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the city had recorded more than 5,600 dengue cases and over 4,380 hand, foot and mouth disease cases since the beginning of the year.
Dengue infections have recently increased to around 600-700 cases a week, while influenza A is also showing an upward trend. Hand, foot and mouth disease cases rose only slightly over the past week.
The CDC is coordinating with local authorities and health facilities to monitor infections, detect outbreaks early and prevent wider community transmission.
Dengue prevention measures include eliminating mosquito larvae, controlling adult mosquitoes and encouraging households to remove standing water.
Vinh stressed that effective disease prevention requires sustained public participation, including personal hygiene, environmental sanitation and timely medical attention.
The CDC is also strengthening outbreak monitoring, preparing emergency response equipment and providing technical support to commune- and ward-level health stations.
Following changes to the management of local health stations, the centre is working with grassroots authorities to maintain disease surveillance and reporting systems.
To improve public awareness, the CDC has developed videos, podcasts and infographics for local health facilities, particularly in mountainous and remote communities.
It is also considering health education materials in local languages to help residents better understand and practise disease prevention.
Authorities said combining community-based prevention with timely hospital treatment and guidance for families would help reduce severe cases and limit the spread of infectious diseases.
