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Mekong Delta records soaring cases of HFMD. Child patients are treated in a hospital in Phu Quoc District |
The Can Tho Children's Hospital yesterday admitted 103 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease who are being under treatment in the hospital. On average, there are about 25 hospitalizations per day and about 40 percent of them have been transferred from many neighboring localities such as Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang.
More seriously, the number of severe cases has increased significantly compared to that in 2022. Specifically, since the beginning of the year, the infirmary has provided treatment for 9 HFMD children of grade 3 and 4; five of them had to be transferred to large hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and two cases of grade 4 succumbed to the disease. Meanwhile, there were only 8 cases of hand, foot and mouth of grade 3 without death in 2022.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Dong Thap Province has recorded 902 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease since the beginning of the year, including one death.
The number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases in An Giang Province increased rapidly, with 90 new cases per week within one month, exceeding the epidemic threshold which medical workers had forecast. Since the beginning of the year, An Giang Province has recorded 600 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, including one patient transferred from Dong Thap Province who died later.
Director of An Giang Provincial Department of Health Tran Quang Hien said that currently, like many other localities, An Giang is lacking drugs for the treatment of severe hand, foot and mouth disease such as Immunoglobulin, which is expected to be available for use in July. The Department of Health has requested medical facilities to check medicines and stockpile drugs, test biological products, medical equipment and supplies to ensure timely treatment of patients with hand, foot and mouth disease.
According to the CDC of Kien Giang Province, although the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases in the first 6 months of this year decreased compared to that in the same period in 2022, the number of severe cases increased, including one death. Localities with a high number of hand, foot and mouth cases include 80 cases, 50 cases and 44 cases in Phu Quoc District, Rach Gia, and Ha Tien respectively.
The Ministry of Health has also just released a warning about the risk of hand, foot and mouth disease in adults because most have no clinical symptoms, so they will spread the disease to children. Regarding the shortage of medicines to treat hand, foot and mouth, the Ministry said medicines will be brought into the country at the beginning of July.
The Vietnam Ministry of Health established the following grading for HFMD at admission. Grade 1 is an uncomplicated disease with fever and vesicles or papules on hands, feet, buttocks, and oral mucosa; Grade 2a is the presence of myoclonus as reported by the caregiver; Grade 2b is when myoclonus is observed by a physician; Grade 3 is the presence of autonomic dysfunction with a fever that is unresponsive to antipyretics, hypertension and persistent tachycardia; Grade 4 exhibits cardiopulmonary compromise with pulmonary edema or hemorrhage. Grades 2b, 3, and 4 describe severe disease and are indicators for hospital admission and treatment.
