The patients, H.N.T, 43, from Da Bac district, and B.T.C, 59, from Lac Son district of Hoa Binh province, were both admitted in critical condition. They suffered from respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, sepsis, multiple organ failure, pleuritis with pleural effusion, and abscesses in the liver and soft tissues.
T’s family revealed that he had been working in a southern province for over ten years, delivering frozen goods daily. He had experienced a persistent high fever, and despite seeking treatment, his condition only temporarily improved.
On August 28, he returned home and was admitted to the Hoa Binh Provincial General Hospital with a high fever, chills, respiratory failure, septic shock, and multiple organ failure.
Dr Hoang Cong Tinh, Head of the Intensive Care Unit 1 at the hospital, confirmed that diagnostic tests showed pleuritis with bilateral pleural effusion, a liver abscess, and sepsis caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacteria responsible for Whitmore's disease.
The patient was treated with mechanical ventilation, continuous blood filtration, vasopressors, and broad-spectrum antibiotics, including those specific to Whitmore's disease. He remains in critical condition, receiving intensive care with multi-specialty consultations.
Patient C, prior to her hospitalisation, experienced high fever, swelling, redness, and pain in her right wrist, along with worsening cough and shortness of breath. She was admitted to Lac Son District Medical Centre on August 28 with chest pain and difficulty breathing, before being transferred to the Hoa Binh Provincial General Hospital for emergency treatment.
Dr Tinh reported that C arrived in respiratory failure and required non-invasive mechanical ventilation. She also exhibited a high fever, chills, signs of infection, an abscess in her right wrist, and bilateral pleural effusion. Blood cultures and lung tests confirmed an infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei.
After over a week of treatment with antibiotics, C’s condition has improved significantly, and she is no longer in critical condition. She is expected to be discharged in ten days and will continue oral antibiotics for three to six months at home.
Whitmore's disease is a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, which resides in contaminated soil and water. It typically enters the body through open wounds or mucous membranes. The disease is often misdiagnosed, leading to delayed treatment, and requires specific antibiotics, with a treatment course lasting up to six months to prevent relapse.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Hoa Binh provincial General Hospital successfully treated five severe cases of Whitmore’s disease involving multiple organ failure. Currently, there is no vaccine available for the disease.
