The health ministry has warned residents to take measures to prevent contracting dengue fever during the next two months.

Deputy Head of the Preventive Medicine Department Nguyen Van Binh warned people in the country's flood-hit central region to take extra precautions.

The ministry reports that there have been more than 78,000 dengue fever so far this year and 59 deaths caused by the disease.

More than 21,600 cases have been documented in the country's central region, a year-on-year increase of 167.9 per cent.

An average of 400 dengue fever cases are reported each week in HCM City.

Director of HCM City Pasteur Institute Tran Ngoc Huu said the wet season has created favourable living conditions for mosquitos to breed.

Nearly half of the city's 322 communes and wards have experienced dengue oubreaks during the past three months. — VNS (to be updated)