A woman in the central highlands province of Dak Lak has been infected with Whitmore's disease, the Central Highlands Regional General Hospital announced on Wednesday.
A woman in the central highlands province of Dak Lak has been infected with Whitmore's disease.
According to the hospital, the 40-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital on October 10 with a severe stomach ache. She was diagnosed to have a splenic abscess and was given an operation. After being discharged from hospital, the woman continued to have pains and returned to the hospital on October 31. This time she tested positive for Burkholderia Pseudomallei, the bacteria that causes Whitmore’s disease. She also has Type 2 diabetes.Doctor Pham Hong Lam from the hospital said that they were providing a four-week intensive treatment for the patient using antibiotics. If her condition improves, she would be discharged and continue treatment at home for three months.
Dak Lak Provincial Centre for Diseases Control has carried out contact tracing and measures to prevent the disease from spreading.
In June, a nine-year-old girl in Dak Lak was also infected with Whitmore's disease and she got over the disease after two weeks of treatment.
Whitmore's disease is an infectious and fatal disease caused by a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. The disease was first found in Vietnam in 1925.
The bacteria are found in contaminated water and soil and spread to humans and animals through direct contact with contaminated sources.
Whitmore's disease causes pneumonia, high fever, bloody sputum, and pus or blood in the lung tissue.
In 2020, 24 cases of Whitmore’s disease and four deaths were reported in the central province of Quang Tri following torrential rains which triggered serious flooding in the area.
