Dengue fever cases surge in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi

Hanoi, Sep 23 (IANS) Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has reported a sharp rise in dengue fever cases, with 258 new infections recorded from September 12 to 19, up from 190 cases in the previous week, local media reported.

According to the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control, the city has identified 19 new outbreak clusters, bringing the total number of active hotspots to 33.

Since the beginning of 2025, Hanoi has recorded 1,884 cases of dengue fever, down 42 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, reports Xinhua, quoting Vietnam News Agency.

Health authorities warned that insect indices at outbreak sites remain at high-risk thresholds and forecast that the infections are likely to keep rising in line with the annual epidemic cycle.

Local health stations have also been instructed to strengthen early detection and ensure timely response to emerging cases, especially in high-risk communities, the report noted.

According to the World Health Organization, Dengue is a viral infection that is spread from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical than in temperate climates.

Most people who get dengue do not have symptoms. For those who do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash. Most get better in 1–2 weeks. Some develop severe dengue and need care in a hospital.

In severe cases, dengue can be fatal.

You can lower your risk of dengue by avoiding mosquito bites, especially during the day.

Dengue is treated through pain management, as there is no specific treatment currently.

The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically worldwide in recent decades, with the number of cases reported to the WHO increasing from 505,430 cases in 2000 to 14.6 million in 2024. The vast majority of cases are asymptomatic or mild and self-managed, and hence the actual numbers of dengue cases are under-reported. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries.

–IANS

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