Mosquito alert: Dengue fever spreading across Vietnam

More than 36,000 cases of dengue fever have been recorded across Vietnam so far this year, and the death toll has risen to ten.

Nine of the fatalities were recorded in the south of the country, while one case was reported in Hanoi, according to official government data.

In Hanoi alone, 1,300 patients have been hospitalized with dengue fever, an increase of 2.6 times against the same period last year.

According to the health ministry, the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease started in mid-April when the temperature started to rise, bringing with it heavy rain.

Vietnam recorded 110,800 cases of dengue fever last year, up 1.9 percent against 2015, but the number of deaths fell 18 to 36.

The country is making efforts to find an effective way to tackle dengue fever, one of the biggest killers out of its 28 common infectious diseases.

There is currently no specific vaccine or treatment for dengue.