Dengue fever cases surge in Vietnam's capital Hanoi

Hanoi, Nov 3 Vietnam's capital Hanoi has reported a rapid increase in dengue fever cases over the past week, with 486 new infections recorded from October 24 to 31, up 94 cases from the previous week, Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday.

According to the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control, the city recorded new outbreaks in 23 communes and wards, bringing the total number of active clusters to 32, with no deaths reported so far.

Since the beginning of 2025, Hanoi has logged 4,388 dengue fever cases, down 20 per cent from the same period last year.

Health authorities warned that insect indices at outbreak sites remain at high-risk levels, indicating a likelihood of further case increases following the city's annual epidemic cycle, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local health stations have been instructed to strengthen surveillance, promptly detect and treat new cases, and carry out mosquito eradication and chemical spraying in high-risk areas, the report said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 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.

The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically worldwide in recent decades, with the number of cases reported to 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.

In 2024, more cases of dengue were recorded than ever before in a 12-month period, affecting over 100 countries on all continents. During 2024, ongoing transmission, combined with an unexpected spike in dengue cases, resulted in a historic high of over 14.6 million cases and more than 12 000 dengue-related deaths reported. The Region of the Americas contributed a significant proportion of the global burden, with over 13 million cases reported to WHO.

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