15-year-old boy dies of Whitmore's disease in Hanoi

A 15-year-old boy has died of Whitmore's disease, also known as melioidosis, despite treatment at a hospital in Hanoi.

An official of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital confirmed on Saturday that the patient, who hailed from north-central Thanh Hoa Province, died on Friday in a state of multi-organ failure and intestinal necrosis.

The boy was admitted to the infirmary on day 12 of the disease onset and was diagnosed with septic shock, multiple organ failure, and Whitmore’s disease.

Two days before the onset, he came home from school and was soaked in rainwater, according to family members.

The boy then had a high fever for four days in a row, coughing, rash with pain in the right chest, and abdominal pain.

He was treated at a local hospital before being transferred to Vietnam National Children’s Hospital.

The boy was one of the two patients treated for Whitmore's disease at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital.

The other patient, a 10-year-old from Thanh Hoa Province, was in a less severe condition and is recovering well.

According to the medical literature, Whitmore's disease is an infectious disease in humans and animals caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Recent studies show that the disease is recorded in many northern and southern provinces.

The mortality rate from the disease is quite high, over 40 percent, especially in patients with septic shock and severe pneumonia.

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