Hanoi, July 28 : Dengue fever cases in Vietnam's two largest cities, Ho Chi Minh City and the capital Hanoi, surged last week, local daily newspaper Nhan Dan (People) reported on Monday.

Hanoi reported 72 new infections last week, double the previous week's figure, bringing the total to 475 cases and 15 outbreak clusters since the beginning of 2025, according to the city's Centre for Disease Control, the newspaper reported.

In southern Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, more than 15,500 dengue cases and 10 deaths had been reported by mid-July, up 157 per cent year on year, the report added.

Health authorities are urging the public to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and remain vigilant as rainy and humid conditions persist, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the World Health Organisation, dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates.

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

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

Dengue is treated with pain medicine, as there is no specific treatment currently.

Rarely, dengue can be severe and lead to death.

The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades, with cases reported to the WHO increasing from 505,430 cases in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. A vast majority of cases are asymptomatic or mild and self-managed, and hence, the actual numbers of dengue cases are under-reported. Many cases are also misdiagnosed as other febrile illnesses.

The highest number of dengue cases was recorded in 2023, affecting over 80 countries in all regions of the WHO. Since the beginning of 2023, ongoing transmission, combined with an unexpected spike in dengue cases, has resulted in a historic high of over 6.5 million cases and more than 7,300 dengue-related deaths reported.

/IANS