Vietnam has recorded more than 190,000 dengue fever cases so far in 2022, a fourfold increase compared to the same period last year, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the Ministry of Health as saying.

A total of 72 dengue fever deaths have been documented in the country this year, up 53 cases year on year.

During one week from August 29 to September 4, health authorities across the nation reported 9,186 dengue fever cases, down 18.1 percent compared to the previous week.

However, there were more patients with serious symptoms in northern provinces.

In southern Vietnam, many patients only waited until their conditions turned bad before seeking treatment at local hospitals.

In several of these cases, patients needed intensive care or even ECMO, an outside-the-body life support.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, deputy director of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, dengue fever cases and deaths jumped sharply compared to previous years.

The increase may be due to the characteristics of this year's dengue virus strain, Dr. Cap explained, adding that the patients could have had changes in their immunity following their COVID-19 infections.

In addition, the health sector is facing a lot of challenges brought about by the shortage of human resources and medicine in many localities.

The entire health system had focused on treating COVID-19 over the past two years, thus many doctors might be confused in dengue fever treatment.

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