As many as 30 cases of Whitmore's disease including four deaths from the disease have been recorded in the province from February. Worse, cases of Whitmore’s disease have risen in October when the region was hit by flood and storm.
Twenty-five people were admitted to the hospital in the month alone.
The first victim of the disease was a 51-year-old man hailing from the Northern Province of Hai Phong. He was a sailor of Vietship 01 ship. He was diagnosed to have the disease on October 14.
The three remaining victims hailed from the Central Province of Quang Tri.
Head of the hospital’s intensive care unit Dr. Le Van Lam said that those died of the Whitmore’s disease were hospitalized late and have serious underlying conditions.
Patients with Whitmore’s disease have no clear symptoms; therefore, doctors are difficult to diagnose and mistakenly think about pneumonia, he added.
To cope with the fatal disease, the Department of Health in the province has requested the provincial Center for Disease Control to increase studies on epidemiological factors as well as implement preventative measures in the communities especially in polluted areas. Furthermore, the center must test all samples to provide early treatment to minimize deaths relating to Whitmore virus.
