Four Whitmore’s disease cases detected in Quang Ninh
VOV.VN - The northern province of Quang Ninh has recorded an additional four cases of Whitmore’s disease, also known as melioidosis.
According to details given by Bai Chay Hospital, all of the patients were admitted to a local medical facility after suffering from symptoms such as sepsis, liver abscess, leg abscess, and meningitis.
Most notably, two of them are elderly people who are suffering from underlying health conditions such as diabetes, multiple myeloma, and high blood pressure. Doctors said that treatment for the elderly patients will take more time than others.
According to information given by health experts, Whitmore’s disease is a dangerous acute infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. The bacterium exists in contaminated water and soil. Transmission to humans and animals happens through skin contact with the contaminated source or the inhalation of particles containing the bacterium.
Its symptoms include fever, pneumonia, and abscesses, as well as inflammation of the brain and joints. It has a mortality rate of around 40%.
There is currently no vaccine for the disease.
The nation has so far recorded several deaths caused by Whitmore’s disease, mostly in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, the central province of Quang Nam, and the northcentral province of Thanh Hoa.
