Accordingly, on August 4, the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases reported a case of a 39-year-old man from Quang Xuong District of Thanh Hoa Province, who had been transferred from the provincial General Hospital under critical conditions due to streptococcus suis infection.
According to epidemiological investigations, on July 19, the patient had purchased pig offal and raw blood from a market and then consumed two bowls of raw blood. Approximately a week later, he developed symptoms such as fever, headache, earache, and purple swelling in his left leg.
He was then transferred to the National Tropical Disease Hospital from Thanh Hoa Province General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a severe Streptococcus suis infection. Even with much effort from the medical team to treat him, the patient still passed away.
Pham Van Phuc, MD, Deputy Head of the Intensive Care Unit at the National Tropical Disease Hospital, noted that the hospital has been frequently receiving and treating cases of Streptococcus suis infection recently.
Many patients have been admitted in critical condition with multiple organ failure and severe coagulation disorders. Some patients have survived but required limb amputation. In addition to consuming raw blood, many patients have contracted Streptococcus suis during the process of slaughtering and processing pigs.
In Hanoi, there have been six reported cases of Streptococcus suis since the beginning of 2024.
To prevent this disease, doctors recommend that people cook pork thoroughly, avoid consuming meat from sick or dead pigs, and refrain from eating raw or undercooked foods, especially raw blood. It is also advised to wear protective gear (gloves) when slaughtering and processing raw pork.
