Ho Chi Minh City, Aug 19 (IANS): The number of people infected with dengue fever is on the rise in southern Vietnam.

Vietnamese capital Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City reported the most cases of dengue fever, Xinhua quoted the Saigon Times as saying Tuesday.

Specifically, in the first seven months of this year, over 9,400 cases of dengue fever were reported in 42 out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide.

In those cases, there were six deaths, with three in HCM City, one in southern Binh Duong and another in Binh Phuoc provinces.

According to health officials, the rate of dengue cases in HCM City increased by 30 percent compared to the same period last year, with nearly 4,500 in-patient cases in the first seven months of this year.

Dengue fever often occurs in Vietnam's southern provinces and peaks in Sept.

On an average, each year there are around 100,000 dengue infection cases nationwide with about 100 deaths.

Symptoms of dengue fever include sudden high fever that lasts for two to seven days, during which the patients first have headache or pain in muscles or bone joints, then have bloody spots under the skin.

To date, there is no specific medicine against dengue, so doctors usually advise residents to take preventive measures, including hygienic eating and drinking, sleeping in anti-mosquito nets and spraying insect killer.