More than 5,200 cases of dengue fever have been recorded in 38 cities and provinces since the beginning of this year, according to a report from the Ministry of Health.

This was 27 per cent higher compared to the same period last year.

The director of the Ministry of Health's Preventive Medicine Department, Tran Dac Phu, said the increase had been highest in the south of the country, where three people have died from the disease since January.

Dengue fever is spread by a mosquito-borne virus. The present epidemic is unusual because it has stgruck at a time when infectins are usually low, said Phu.

"Last year, the epidemic continued until December when it should have been declined in October as in previous years," he added.

Dengue fever is a common disease both in urban and rural areas, peaking in July, August and September of the rainy season.

So far, there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment for the disease.

The main prevention measure against dengue fever is mosquito control, which depended heavily on the awareness of the residents themselves, said Phu. 

VNS