Dengue fever epidemic develops abnormally
According to the Ministry of Health, in the first 5 months of 2026, the whole country recorded more than 50,000 cases of Dengue hemorrhagic fever, 2.5 times higher than the same period last year. Experts warn that the epidemic is developing unpredictably and showing signs of breaking the familiar seasonal rules.
At the seminar "Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: Unpredictable Developments in Vietnam" organized by the Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health) in coordination with Health & Life Newspaper on June 11, Dr. Angela Pratt - Chief Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam - said that climate change is creating favorable conditions for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to develop. Hot and humid weather interspersed with prolonged rains makes mosquitoes breed more strongly. In addition, the DENV-2 virus type is dominating, increasing the risk of serious disease.
According to MSc.BS Vo Hai Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health), dengue fever no longer follows the familiar cycle. If the epidemic usually decreased at the end of the year, in 2025, the number of cases still maintained at a high level in November and December. This trend continues to extend to 2026 when the number of cases increased sharply right from the beginning of the year.
WHO said that dengue fever is becoming a global health challenge as the number of cases worldwide increased 10 times in the period 2010-2019. Currently, the disease is ranked in the top 10 major public health threats in the world.
In Vietnam, the epidemic has appeared in most provinces and cities. Many northern localities, which previously recorded few cases, are now witnessing a significant increase in the number of patients.
Everyone can get dengue fever
MSc.BS Vo Hai Son added that the age of onset is clearly changing. If previously most patients in the South were children under 15 years old, now the incidence rate between children and adults is almost equivalent. This means that all family members are at risk of getting sick and having complications if not detected and monitored promptly.
Worryingly, many people still think that fever reduction is a sign that the disease is recovering. In fact, the most dangerous stage usually falls on the third to fifth day of the disease, when the patient begins to reduce fever. This is the time when serious complications may appear such as dengue fever shock, severe bleeding or multiple organ failure.
Many cases are hospitalized late due to subjectivity, increasing the risk of death and making treatment more difficult. In addition to the risk of death, severe illness can also leave long-term sequelae such as memory loss, insomnia, reduced concentration, vision disorders or hair loss. Treatment costs are also a heavy burden for many families, especially in cases where ventilators or blood filtration are required.
Faced with complex epidemic developments, experts believe that in addition to traditional measures such as mosquito and larvae killing and epidemiological surveillance, the application of new technologies will help improve the effectiveness of epidemic control. AI can support early warning of outbreak risks, while dengue fever vaccine is expected to help proactively prevent the disease and reduce severe cases.
The health sector is researching the pilot implementation of vaccination in some localities, while strengthening vector control, improving treatment capacity and applying weather and environmental data in epidemic forecasting.
WHO aims to have no more deaths from Dengue hemorrhagic fever by 2030. To achieve this goal, proactive community participation is considered a key factor alongside the efforts of the health sector.
