HANOI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) Ho Chi Minh City has reported over 11,500 cases of petechial fever, reported by the newspaper New Hanoi on Friday, citing the sources from the Ministry of Health.

    So far, six deaths of the disease have been reported by Nguyen Huy Nga, Head of Viet Nam General Department of Preventive Medicine under Ministry of Health.

    Local health officials are worried that the disease will spread further.

    Mosquitoes are the main cause of the disease, which is dangerous for babies and overweight children. It can lead to respiratory and digestive problems.

    The disease was attributed to bad weather and poor living conditions, which created favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes, said Nga.

    Local authorities have taken various measures to wipe out the disease, including dredging sewerage and spraying chemicals to stamp out the mosquito population.