Vietnam has so far this year detected 52,321 cases infected with hand-foot-mouth disease, of whom 109 have died.

The Health Ministry said 79.6 percent of the deaths were children under three years old.

The disease has occurred in 61 out of 63 Vietnamese cities and provinces, with the southern region being the hardest hit, representing 70.8 percent and 90.8 percent, respectively, in terms of infected cases and fatality rate.

By August 14, the Pasteur Institutes in the country had reported 1,193 test samples positive with enterovirus (EV) that causes the disease.

Medical experts warned that the disease will become more complicated between September and November as currently there is no vaccine for the disease that mostly affects children under five.

They suggested focus on environmental sanitation and dissemination of information on measures to keep personal hygiene.

The Health Ministry has granted 22,415kg of Chloramin B to the Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang Pasteur Institutes and localities to serve decontamination and prevention work.

The ministry also organised 105 training courses on monitoring, preventing and controlling the disease for medical workers and kindergarten teachers as well as nine conferences to assess the prevention work./.