The local health department also conducted health check-ups for 352 people who had close contact with the two cases on June 13.
Local people have also been advised to closely monitor their health and report to local authorities as soon as possible when showing symptoms, including fever, headache, and diarrhoea.
According to the Bac Kan Department of Health, a two-year-old girl died on June 5, followed by her 64-year-old grandmother on June 9. Both lived in the same house in Na Lau Village, Ba Be District.
Two other family members also showed symptoms of tiredness, headaches and diarrhoea afterwards and are undergoing treatment in hospital.
The department’s deputy director, Tran Van Tuyen, said a test sample from the patients sent to the National Tropical Disease Centre showed one infected with the meningitis virus.
Meningococcal disease is an infectious disease transmitted through the respiratory tract, which can develop into an epidemic and cause death if not detected early and treated promptly.
The local Department of Health ordered the provincial Centre for Disease Control to strengthen supervision of the meningococcal outbreak in Ba Be District and monitor its developments to control its spreading.
It ordered healthcare professionals to ensure adequate equipment, chemicals, supplies, and vaccines against meningococcal disease.
The Bac Kan Provincial General Hospital has been asked to prepare facilities and areas for quarantine, specialised equipment, and drugs to be ready for timely treatment and emergency care for any further cases.
