Dengue fever and measles risks overloading hospitals in Đắk Lắk

The Paediatric Department at Buôn Ma Thuột General Hospital has added 24 more beds in the hallways as the number of children hospitalised for dengue fever surges. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyên Dung

ĐẮK LẮK — The number of dengue fever and measles cases in the central highland province of Đắk Lắk has been increasing dramatically, raising concerns about potential overcrowding in hospitals in the province.

H’Yên Niê, a resident of Cư Êbur Commune in Buôn Ma Thuột City, is currently caring for her three year old child, who is being treated for measles in the isolation ward of the Paediatric Department at Buôn Ma Thuột General Hospital.

Four days ago, her child developed a fever and she bought medicine from a pharmacy, but the toddler's condition didn’t improve. When he started having nosebleeds, she rushed him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed measles with pneumonia complications, requiring oxygen support.

“When we first got to the hospital, my child was in serious condition, lying down all day, not eating or drinking anything. The next day, he managed to drink a small glass of milk. He also needed oxygen and nebuliser treatments, she said.

According to Dr. Cao Hoàng Phong, head of the Paediatric Department at Buôn Ma Thuột General Hospital, over the past month, measles cases have surged, with 32 patients currently being treated.

Alongside measles, the department is also handling a significant number of dengue cases, having treated over 200 children since the beginning of the year.

In recent weeks, the influx of patients has overwhelmed the hospital’s capacity, forcing them to add beds in the hallways and reassign medical staff from other departments to help.

“The number of children admitted to the hospital has caused significant overcrowding recently, especially with bed shortages in our department. We’ve had to place beds in the hallways and even our medical staff is stretched thin. We've had to bring in personnel from other departments to assist with treatment,” Phong said.

At the Central Highlands General Hospital, the number of admissions of children has also surged.

In the Infectious Diseases Department, there have been 100 inpatients over the past two months, with half of them suffering from dengue fever. The department’s maximum capacity, including hallway beds, is 170.

According to Dr. Trần Thị Thúy Minh from the General Paediatrics Department, since early September, the hospital has admitted 50 measles cases, while at the peak of the dengue outbreak, the department was treating as many as 60 cases.

According to statistics from the Đắk Lắk Provincial Health Department, as of September 12, over 3,100 dengue cases and 115 measles cases have been reported. The numbers peaked in September, with more than 2,000 cases of dengue and over 100 cases of measles recorded.

Hoàng Nguyên Duy, Deputy Director of the Đắk Lắk Health Department, warned that the situation was likely to worsen in the coming weeks, putting further strain on hospitals.

To prevent an outbreak, the department had issued multiple directives and held meetings to prepare response plans. It had also intensified public awareness campaigns on dengue prevention and urged parents to vaccinate their children against measles.

“Currently, the outbreaks are under control, but the situation could escalate soon," Duy said.

"We’ve instructed Buôn Ma Thuột General Hospital to prepare accordingly. In a mild outbreak, they should have 30 beds in the isolation ward, 60 beds for a moderate outbreak and up to 100 beds in case of a severe situation.” — VNS