The Mekong Delta province of Long An has just reported the first infection of monkeypox, bringing the total number of patients suffering from the disease in Vietnam to 16 with the majority in HCM City.
Director of Long An Provincial Department of Health, Huynh Minh Phuc, announced on Wednesday that a 42-year-old man in Can Giuoc City tested positive for monkeypox.The man, who travels to HCM City every day to work at a local restaurant, first found large amounts of itchy fluid-filled bumps on his body and came to the HCM City Dermatology Hospital for a checkup on October 6. He tested positive for monkeypox and has since been isolated for treatment at home. He is now improving.
The department has tracked other people who came into direct contact with the patient for monitoring.
As of October 11, 16 monkeypox cases have been recorded in the southern region of Vietnam with 13 cases in HCM City, two in Binh Duong, and one in Long An.
All of the patients are being isolated for treatment at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. They are all in stable health condition.
Initial symptoms include fever, headache, back pain, muscle pain and exhaustion. Then, they struggle with rash, bumps, blisters and pustules.
Most patients can recover from the symptoms within a few weeks. However, in some individuals, the infection can lead to complications or even death.
