A parade along main streets marks annual ASEAN Dengue Day held in HCM City’s District 6 on May 11. — VNS Photo Ngọc Diệp

HCM CITY — A city-level campaign on prevention and control of dengue fever to celebrate annual ASEAN Dengue Day (June 15) was launched by HCM City’s Department of Health on Saturday (May 11) at Bình Phú Park in District 6.

Dr Nguyễn Hữu Hưng, deputy director of the city's health department, said the campaign, which would run until the end of June, aims to raise people’s awareness of dengue fever and generate resources from stakeholders for the prevention and control of the disease.

The city’s Preventive Medicine Centre will focus on dealing with any dengue fever outbreak, while authorised agencies in localities will strengthen punishments to prevent violations related to dengue fever prevention and control.

“To reduce the risk of dengue outbreak during the rainy season, people should kill mosquitoes and their larvae, and keep the environment around their houses clean,” Dũng said.

The peak season for dengue fever usually extends from early August until the end of March.

In the first four months of the year, the city recorded nearly 21,000 people infected with dengue fever, including three deaths.

Since 2015, the city uncovered 900 violations related to environmental sanitation and preventive medicine regulations, and issued an average fine of VNĐ1-1.5 million (US$43-64) per case. — VNS