Hand-foot-mouth disease has killed 81 people in Vietnam, the second highest death toll in the world after China where 353 have died, the Ministry of Health said.
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| Children with the hand, foot and mouth disease being treated at the Pediatrics Hospital 1 in HCM City |
More than 32,500 people have contracted the disease this year, mainly in the South, with Binh Duong the worst hit, followed by Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai.
Ho Chi Minh City was seventh in terms of incidence per 100,000 population but led in number of cases with 7,352, or 3.4 times the number in the same period last year, Dr Tran Ngoc Huu, director of the Pasteur Institute, said.
The city has also reported the highest death toll of 22.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness among infants and children that causes fever and blister-like eruptions around the mouth and/or a skin rash.
There are no vaccines or even specific drugs for this highly contagious disease, but certain precautions can help reduce its spread, the ministry said.
People should wash their children’s hands frequently and thoroughly, especially after they use the toilet and before they eat. They should also keep their children’s toys clean.
Meanwhile, the incidence of dengue fever has increased in the city in the last six weeks, Phan Viet Thanh, the director of the Department of Health, said.
Dr Huu warned that the city might suffer from a double pandemic soon since both dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease peaked in the September-November period.