The hand-foot-mouth disease spread rapidly in central and southern provinces last week, forcing many pre-schools to close down as a precaution.
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| A doctor examines children for hand-foot-mouth disease. A swathe of pre-schools have closed as the disease spread rapidly in central and southern provinces over the last few days. |
The hand-foot-mouth disease spread rapidly in central and southern provinces last week, forcing many pre-schools to close down as a precaution.
Dozens of kindergartens, mostly in Hau Giang Province, are closed for at least a week after some children tested positive for the EV71 virus last week.
Ten of them in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province, the one with the largest number of infected kindergarten children, had to be closed for decontamination.
Vi Thuy District had the largest number of infected children in the province – 48 – the director of the district Medical Centre, Nguyen Thanh Hieu, said. One child has died.
Dozens of kindergartens, mostly in Hau Giang Province, are closed for at least a week after some children tested positive for the EV71 virus last week.
Ten of them in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province, the one with the largest number of infected kindergarten children, had to be closed for decontamination.
Vi Thuy District had the largest number of infected children in the province – 48 – the director of the district Medical Centre, Nguyen Thanh Hieu, said. One child has died.
Two pre-schools in Bac Lieu are closed, with the one in the provincial capital being the latest. The disease has spread to all seven districts in the province, with more than 500 people contracting it, six fatally.
The Central Highland province of Dak Nong has closed at least one pre-school after six children were infected in Dak R'lap District last Monday and 20 others had symptoms of fever and vomiting. The school closed for 10 days last Thursday for decontamination.
The Ministry of Health reported last Thursday that more than 52,000 people had contracted the disease in the country this year, with 109 succumbing to it.
The latest casualty was a three-year-old girl who died in Ha Noi last Tuesday.
The disease has become widespread in 61 out of 63 provinces and cities, according to the MoH. HCM City is the worst affected in the southern region with 26 deaths, followed by Dong Nai with 22, and Binh Duong with nine.
The Central Highland province of Dak Nong has closed at least one pre-school after six children were infected in Dak R'lap District last Monday and 20 others had symptoms of fever and vomiting. The school closed for 10 days last Thursday for decontamination.
The Ministry of Health reported last Thursday that more than 52,000 people had contracted the disease in the country this year, with 109 succumbing to it.
The latest casualty was a three-year-old girl who died in Ha Noi last Tuesday.
The disease has become widespread in 61 out of 63 provinces and cities, according to the MoH. HCM City is the worst affected in the southern region with 26 deaths, followed by Dong Nai with 22, and Binh Duong with nine.
Last week at least two people tested positive in 61 communes in the city. With the disease reaching pandemic status, the city Department of Health has announced an emergency plan to combat it.
It includes increasing the number of beds in major hospitals by at least half.
The ministry said 2,000 fresh cases were reported from around the country every week, warning the disease could mutate into a more dangerous strain by November, resulting in many more casualties.
The disease mostly affects children aged under five since they cannot take care of their personal hygiene.
(Source: VNS)
