Vietnam sees increase in dengue in some areas
In Vietnam, dengue fever is prevalent in most localities. On average, the country records about 100,000 cases and about 100 deaths each year. The disease occurs year-round, but often increases sharply during the months from June to November.
Since the beginning of 2025, the country has recorded 32,189 cases of dengue fever, including 5 deaths. Compared to the same period in 2024 (recorded 36,276 cases and 6 deaths), the number of cases decreased by 11.2%, and the number of deaths decreased by 1 case.
Currently, Vietnam is entering the peak season of dengue fever. Hot, humid weather and heavy rain are ideal conditions for disease-carrying mosquitoes to develop.
Mr. Vo Hai Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health, said that although the number of cases is concentrated in the southern provinces and cities, in recent years, the northern, central and Central Highlands regions have also begun to record a gradual increase in the number of cases.
"Currently, some localities have recorded a high increase in the number of cases compared to the same period, such as: Ben Tre increased by 346.5%, Tay Ninh increased by 274.3%, Long An increased by 208.6%, Dong Nai increased by 191.7% and Ho Chi Minh City increased by 151.4%," said Mr. Son.
Mr. Son said that dengue fever is still under control. However, with the current favorable weather conditions for mosquitoes to develop, the risk of an increase in the number of cases in the coming time is very high.
Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube
"If localities do not promptly implement epidemic prevention and control measures, the risk of an outbreak in 2025 is entirely possible. The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation and has issued documents directing provinces and cities - especially those with a high number of cases - to proactively control the outbreak early, not allowing the epidemic to spread and prolong," said Mr. Son.
Localities need to proactively fight the epidemic
In recent times, the Ministry of Health has regularly directed localities to synchronously deploy prevention and control solutions.
The Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute have organized many inspection and guidance teams in high-risk localities, focusing on monitoring, early detection and thorough handling of outbreaks as soon as the first case is detected. Campaigns of spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes and eliminate larvae have been strongly deployed in high-risk areas.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health also mobilized the entire political system and authorities at all levels, from communes, wards to residential groups and residential areas, to propagate and guide people to carry out activities to eliminate mosquito larvae and mosquito larvae in households; coordinate with the health sector in mosquito eradication campaigns in the community.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health also strengthens propaganda so that people can recognize early signs of the disease and proactively prevent it. In addition, the health system needs to be prepared in terms of human resources, medicines, chemicals, equipment, infusion fluids, hospital beds and effectively carry out treatment classification to limit overload and minimize the number of deaths.
"We appreciate the participation of departments, sectors, organizations and people in the past time. However, to maintain the results and continue to control the epidemic well, these activities need to be carried out persistently and continuously, with strong participation of the whole community," said Mr. Son.
According to this expert, the most effective way to prevent dengue fever is to kill mosquitoes, kill larvae/wigglers and avoid mosquito bites. People need to cover all water containers to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs, sleep under mosquito nets even during the day, wear long clothes to avoid mosquito bites, and use mosquito repellents such as creams, lamps or electric rackets.
Most importantly, when you have a fever, you need to go to a medical facility immediately for examination and timely treatment. You should not self-treat at home because it is easy to miss the time to detect warning signs of the disease.
According to Mr. Vo Hai Son, vaccines are one of the new, proactive measures in disease prevention and control. The introduction of vaccines into vaccination is a positive signal, contributing to reducing the number of cases and deaths, supporting the goal of protecting, caring for and improving people's health.
However, vaccines cannot replace traditional disease prevention measures. To achieve sustainable epidemic prevention, people still need to maintain epidemiological surveillance activities, control disease vectors, handle outbreaks early and thoroughly, raise awareness, and especially mobilize active participation from each citizen.