Improvement of Case-Management - A Key Factor to Reduce Case-Fatality Rate of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever in Southern Viet Nam

Abstract

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death in children in Viet Nam since 1960. This paper emphasizes on the measures taken to improve case management of DHF/dengue shock syndrome (DSS) patients in the country - to reduce the case-fatality rate (CFR) of the disease. These included early diagnosis, correct treatment, and careful monitoring of DHF/DSS patients, as well as counseling mothers/caretakers on measures to take care of DHF patients at home in order to detect warning signs of shock and early admission. These measures had a dramatic effect on reducing the mortality among DHF patients from 8.26% during the period from 1964 to 1974 to 0.26% during the period from 1996 to 20 00. CFR of DSS also reduced to between 1.44 and 2% during 1999-2001.