The alarm is raised in Vietnam for the continuous increase in cases of dengue fever, especially in the southern and central areas.

Although this is the season in which the most sick are normally recorded due to the infection transmitted by mosquitoes, the Ministry of Health says it is concerned about the faster rate of growth of cases and the greater total number compared to previous years.

If drastic measures are not taken, there are fears that the disease could explode on a large scale .

The country has registered more than 60,000 cases since the beginning of the year, with a 97% increase over the same period last year and about 8,000 more cases than the previous week.

Ho Chi Minh City in the south has reported nine deaths so far while it has confirmed 16,057 cases of dengue, a very rapid increase of 7,388 cases, up 117.3% over the same period last year.

Another outbreak is occurring in Quảng Bình province.

(Unioneonline / ss)