Vietnam’s Dak Lak records 4 Whitmore’s disease cases, including one death

The cases include two in Ea Sup Commune and one each in Buon Ho and Tuy Hoa Wards, the CDC said on Monday.

The patient who died was N.V.R., 57, a resident of Ea Sup, the Voice of Vietnam reported.

He developed symptoms on August 7 and was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment on September 22.

He died on October 14 after being brought back home.

The latest case under treatment involves a 69-year-old man identified as L. B. H., a resident of Tuy Hoa Ward, who is receiving care at Phu Yen General Hospital.

H. developed a high fever and back pain on August 17 and was initially treated for spinal degeneration, fever, and gastrointestinal bleeding after being admitted to the hospital on September 1.

He was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital on September 20 after his condition failed to improve. 

A pus sample collected on October 9 tested positive for Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacterium that causes Whitmore's disease, according to the CDC.

After receiving antibiotics, drainage of a muscle abscess and nutritional support, he was taken back to Phu Yen General Hospital at his family's request on October 13 for continued treatment. 

His condition is gradually stabilizing, doctors said.

The source of his infection remains unknown, according to a report from the Tuy Hoa health station.

Although his family uses tap water and he does not work in the fields, he reportedly goes freshwater fishing. 

Health officials are investigating his activities and possible exposure to contaminated soil, mud or water.

Whitmore’s disease, also known as melioidosis, is a potentially life-threatening infection that does not spread from person to person, although the bacterium can survive for long periods in soil and contaminated water, according to the CDC.

People and animals can become infected through contact with contaminated sources, particularly when the bacterium enters the body through cuts or other breaks in the skin.

Symptoms vary widely and can resemble those of other illnesses, making the disease difficult to diagnose.

The infection can become severe and fatal, particularly in people with underlying conditions such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease, chronic lung disease or weakened immune systems.

There is currently no vaccine against the disease, the CDC said.

To reduce the risk of infection, health authorities advise people to maintain good personal hygiene, wash their hands regularly with soap and clean water, eat thoroughly cooked food, drink boiled water that has been allowed to cool, and avoid consuming meat from sick or dead animals.

People should also avoid direct contact with potentially contaminated soil and water, including swimming or bathing in polluted ponds, lakes and rivers.

Those with open wounds, ulcers or burns should avoid exposing them to such contaminated sources. 

If exposure cannot be avoided, wounds should be covered with waterproof dressings and cleaned thoroughly afterward, the CDC said.