>> Hand-foot-mouth disease claims 50 lives in southern Vietnam
Vietnam has witnessed 52,321 hand, foot and mouth disease in 61 cities and provinces so far this year, including 109 deaths.
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| Thousands of people are contracting the diseases every wee |
According to the Ministry of Health, the epidemic began rising in May with the peak in July. Thousands of people are contracting the diseases every week. Most of the hand, foot and mouth cases are in the south, accounting for 70.8% of the country’s total number of patients and 90.8% of deaths.
Ho Chi Minh City topped the localities nationwide in terms of fatalities, with 26 dead, followed by Dong Nai with 22, Binh Duong nine, Long An seven and Ba Ria-Vung Tau six.
The epidemic is set to continue through September until November with children under five being the hardest-hit.
The Ministry of Health will tighten disease management and also work with the Ministry of Education and Training to disseminate information about the epidemic to the public.
The National Hospital of Paediatrics in Hanoi announced on September 21 that a three year old girl had died at the hospital, from suspected hand, foot and mouth disease. This is the first case of its kind in the capital. The hospital has conducted tests to determine an accurate cause of death.
The hospital is providing treatment to several hand, foot and mouth cases with serious complications.
