Up to 10,270 people in Vietnam's southern region were detected to suffer from dengue fever between January and early May, a year-on-year rise of 48.6 percent.

Of the patients, 16 died of the disease in the period, local newspaper Young People on Saturday quoted sources from Ho Chi MinhCity-based Pasteur Institute as saying.

Most of dengue fever suffers live in Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang and Bac Lieu, whoseweather is most favorable for the development of mosquitoes that are the main transmitter of the disease.

The country detected 35,073 cases of dengue fever infections, including 58 fatalities last year, year-on-year increased of 48 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

To curb the spread of the disease, medicine prevention centers nationwide, especially those in 20 southern localities, have continually called for local people to use mosquito nets and keep environment hygienic.

Source: Xinhua