First diphtheria infection detected in central province
VOV.VN - A nine-year-old schoolgirl in Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province, has tested positive for the bacterium strain Corynebacterium, becoming the first diphtheria case in central Vietnam.
A ethnic minority resident in was tested for diphtheria in Dak Lak
The third grader showed diphtheria symptoms such as a high temperature, a cough, a sore throat and diarrhea on July 10.
She was taken to a private clinic and then the Vinh Linh Medical Centre for treatment, but she had not recovered until the Quang Tri provincial Centre for Diseases Control confirmed the test results on July 21.
A total of 26 people who had close contact with the girl were quarantined and tested for diphtheria. Medical workers disinfected the girl’s house and nearby houses to ensure the bacterium strain could not spread among the community.
The provincial Centre for Diseases Control has launched a diphtheria vaccination campaign for children from 2 months old to 4 years old in the locality.
Apart from Quang Tri, diphtheria outbreaks have been reported in four Central Highland provinces of Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kontum, and Dak Lak, with 98 cases and three deaths.
The Ministry of Health has encouraged people, mostly these, living in remote areas to be given a shot against diphtheria. It has just launched a large-scale vaccination campaign in the Central Highlands region to nip in the bud a possible recurrence of diphtheria in the region.