Health sector and other agencies in the southern province of Binh Phuoc are making concerted efforts to stop spreading of diphtheria in the province as the disease is plaguing communes claiming three deaths and hospitalization of ten people.
Thuan Loi and Thuan Phu Communes in Binh Phuoc Province’s Dong Phu District have reported the deaths of three inhabitants due to diphtheria.
According to the mother of Dieu Trit who died on June 30, Trit told to have pain in chest and throat, he later came to the medical clinic to take some medication yet his illness did not abate. His condition turned serious on June 29 when he was rushed to Thanh Tam Hospital and later the General Hospital in the province. Despite of medical workers’ efforts to save him, he died on June 30.
The second and the third victims Thi Lai and 24 year old Nguyen Truong Hau had the same symptoms.
Reporter of Sai Gon Giai Phong arrived in the province and realized that lives of inhabitants changed as they avoided going out and contacting others because they feared to have the disease.
Director of the Department of Health Nguyen Dong Thong said that in three past weeks, in the two above-mentioned recorded 47 cases of diphtheria; of whom, three died, six were discharged from hospitals and 38 are under treatment. As per tests, four of them are positive for diphtheria and medical experts said that there will more cases of diphtheria; accordingly the local has adopted measures against spreading.
The Ministry of Health asked the Biological Products and Vaccine Institute to provide Binh Phuoc 10,000 doses of vaccine Td against tetanus and diphtheria. The vaccine will be injected for kids at the age of 6 to 16 in Thuan Loi and Thuan Phu. Kids from two months to one year old will receive free vaccination as per the National Expanded Immunization Province.
