Vietnam’s Dak Lak reports another death due to Whitmore’s disease

The patient, a 60-year-old man from Ea Sup Commune, fell ill in July with fever, cough, and fatigue.

Despite repeated treatments for pneumonia, his condition worsened and he was later diagnosed with a brain abscess.

He underwent surgery and intensive antibiotic treatment at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, but his health did not improve.

He died on August 31, shortly after being taken home.

Laboratory tests later confirmed Whitmore infection.

The Dak Lak CDC described the case as severe, with brain abscess complications that made treatment especially difficult.

Whitmore, also known as melioidosis, is a rare but life-threatening infectious disease.

While it does not spread from person to person, the bacterium can survive for long periods in soil and contaminated water.

It typically enters the body through open wounds, inhalation, or ingestion, and is more common during the rainy season, particularly among farmers or people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or kidney disease.

The CDC advised residents to wear protective gear like boots and gloves when working with soil and water, properly treat open wounds, eat well-cooked food, and avoid unsafe water sources.

Anyone with prolonged fever, cough, fatigue, or skin ulcers after contact with soil or water should seek immediate medical care.

Suspected rabies death also reported

On the same day, the Dak Lak CDC reported a suspected rabies-related death in Hoa Phu Commune.

The 65-year-old man had been bitten on the hands by a stray dog a month earlier but did not get vaccinated.

He developed hydrophobia, shortness of breath, and other classic rabies symptoms on Wednesday and was taken to the provincial hospital, where doctors confirmed he was in the advanced stage of rabies.

He died the same day after his family brought him home.

This was the seventh suspected rabies death in Dak Lak since early this year.