Vietnam recorded nearly 6,900 cases of dengue fever infections in April, compared to the average figure of 4,000 in the first three months of the year.

Spraying chemical to kill off mosquitoes, the vector of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases, in Hoai Duc district, Hanoi.

According to the Health Ministry, since the beginning of this year, 20,947 people have contracted the disease, with eight of them dying.

In Hanoi alone, 500 dengue fever cases were reported during the period, up 45 percent from last year. 

In response to the development, the municipal Health Department has intensified communications campaigns on public sanitation and mosquito prevention, while chemicals to kill mosquitoes have been sprayed in areas at high risk of outbreaks.

Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes carrying the virus. Its symptoms include high fever, headaches and joint aches, which can be confused with symptoms of other diseases.

The disease has potentially dangerous complications such as shock, respiratory failure, coagulation, liver damage and altered mental status, and can be fatal.

VNA