Vietnam reports 260 percent rise in dengue infections

Nearly 45,000 people came down with dengue fever across Vietnam in the first seven months, a 260 percent increase from a year ago, local media reported on Wednesday, citing new data released by the health ministry.

At least 14 people were killed and infections were recorded in 46 out of 63 cities and provinces, Tran Dac Phu, chief of the ministry’s General Department of Preventive Medicine, told news website Saigon Times Online.

The department has urged local governments, especially provinces with outbreaks such as Bac Lieu and Dak Lak, to take measures for killing mosquito larvae and spraying insecticides. 

Local clinics have also been ordered to provide appropriate and urgent treatment for patients to limit fatalities, he added.

Vietnam recorded nearly 82,000 dengue infections last year, including 52 deaths, according to official figures.