HANOI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam saw over 28,000 cases of dengue fever, including 28 fatalities between January and July 8, local newspaper Pioneer reported Monday.

    The country's southern region found 25,000 dengue fever patients, of whom 25 died of the disease, in the period. Weather conditions in the region and local people's habit of storing water in containers at their houses favor the breeding of mosquitoes, the disease's transmitter.

    Some 4,000 cases of dengue fever infections were reported in the central region, including the provinces of Khanh Hoa and Binh Thuan.

    Local healthcare agencies are asking residents to frequently clean up environment around their accommodations, mainly by keeping water containers close and clean and killing mosquitoes and their larvae.

    In 2006, Vietnam reported over 77,800 cases of dengue fever infections, including 68 fatalities. Up to 84 percent of the infections and 91 percent of the deaths were found in the southern region.