In Week 47 (November 17–23), the city recorded 1,547 HFMD cases, a 15-percent increase compared with the average of the previous four weeks. Since the beginning of the year, HCMC has logged 32,637 cases, up 64 percent from the same period in 2024. From Week 37 (June 30–July 6) onward, case numbers have risen consistently, in line with the disease’s seasonal pattern. No fatalities have been reported, but 65 cases have reached severe levels (grade 2B or higher).
Notably, since Week 42 (October 13–19), the city has averaged three severe cases per week — higher than in the early months of the year. Local hospitals have also received 640 patients transferred from neighboring provinces, including eight severe cases, accounting for 70 percent of all critical patients currently under treatment.
Children’s Hospital No.1 reported that of 18 severe HFMD cases tested in November, ten were positive for EV71, representing 56 percent. The HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) confirmed that EV71 only began to reappear in early November — coinciding with the recent surge in both total cases and severe cases.
According to the municipal health department, EV71 is not a new pathogen, but it has the potential to cause neurological, respiratory, and circulatory complications, and can progress rapidly. However, if detected early — within the first 7–10 days — children can receive timely intervention. Health authorities advised parents to closely monitor warning signs and seek medical attention promptly.
In response to the rising caseload, the Department of Health has requested the education sector to coordinate closely with schools, daycare centers, and kindergartens to strengthen surveillance, ensure hygiene standards, and provide adequate soap and hand sanitizers. Children who fall ill must stay home to prevent transmission.
HCDC, together with grassroots health centers and commune/ward health stations, has been instructed to tighten outbreak monitoring, provide real-time updates, conduct advanced training, and issue unified response guidelines across the city. Hospitals have been asked to prepare for an influx of severe cases and activate rapid consultation protocols for any patient showing signs of critical progression.
