Health News

Hand, foot and mouth disease in Vietnam claims ninth victim of 2012

Feb 20, 2012, 11:24 GMT

Hanoi - An infant has died from hand, foot and mouth disease in central Vietnam, bringing the country's death toll from the virus to nine this year, an official said.

The 22-month-old boy died last week in Da Nang city in central Vietnam, Phi Van Kien, an official from the Department of Preventive Health and Environment, told dpa.

He was first admitted to hospital on February 8 but doctors didn't recognise his symptoms, a report in the newspaper Tuoi Tre said.

As his condition worsened, the child was submitted for tests which concluded he was suffering the critical stages of the disease. He died on February 14.

Three other children at his preschool were also suspected of contracting the virus. Local agencies have sterilized the school and surrounding areas.

Last year hand, foot and mouth disease killed 166 people in Vietnam, most of them children. The death toll was 10 times higher than the previous year as a more dangerous strain of the virus became more prevalent.

The virus is transmitted through saliva, blister fluid and faeces, but it is rare among adults, whose immune systems are generally strong enough to fight it off.

The disease is life-threatening in a small number of cases, owing to complications such as lung haemorrhages and meningitis.