Some days ago, a 34-year-old woman was brought to the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases in a deep coma with dark urine, jaundice and anaemia.
A malaria patient at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases: Photo by Hoang Le
She was previously taken to a hospital in HCM City’s suburbs due to unusual symptoms after returning from Cameroon. During the treatment there, her condition did not improve, and she tested positive for malaria.
She was then moved to the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for intensive treatment with an endotracheal tube and a ventilator. After the three-day treatment, she regained consciousness and had the endotracheal tube removed.
Another man who came back to HCM City from Africa also exhibited symptoms of jaundice and kidney failure. The patient tested positive for malaria. Following a week of treatment, he was discharged from the hospital.
According to Doctor Ho Dang Trung Nghia from the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Vietnam recorded about 100 malaria cases a year, with the majority being imported cases compared to hundreds of cases in 2018.
Last year, the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases received 20 malaria patients, including 15 returning from abroad. So far this year, as many as 15 malaria patients have been taken to the hospital, including up to 13 infected abroad.