There have been more than 15,000 cases of dengue fever in the south so far this year, according to the Pasteur Institute of HCM City.

Health officials and members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the southern province of Binh Duong joined a parade in Thuan An Town on April 19 to raise public awareness of eliminating mosquitoes and their larvae. 

HCM City, Binh Duong and An Giang provinces have reported the highest number of cases.

In HCM City, as of the end of March, there were nearly 5,000 cases including three fatalities.

In Cần Thơ, there have been more than 320 cases, a 10 per cent increase year-on-year.

Huynh Minh Truc, director of the Can Tho Preventive Medicine Centre, said on Thursday that there is a rising incidence of dengue in the city.

Dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases would continue to increase during the upcoming rainy season, he said.

Some dengue hot spots, which are being monitored, are seeing a rise in the mosquito population.

If there are no measures to eliminate mosquitoes and their larvae, the risk of a dengue outbreak is very high, Trúc said.

Health officials in the region are encouraging people to not only spray chemicals but also use traditional methods to exterminate mosquitoes and their larvae. 

VNS