HO CHI MINH CITY: HCM City has recorded sharp increases in cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and dengue fever, with several related deaths reported since the beginning of the year, according to the municipal Department of Health.
The department said in its four-month report released on Monday (May 11) that HFMD cases surged in April, with 5,243 inpatient and outpatient cases recorded, up 163.6 per cent from the previous month and more than 109 per cent higher than the same period last year.
From the beginning of the year to mid-April, the city reported 12,063 HFMD cases – an increase of 164 per cent year-on-year – including five deaths. As of May 3, the cumulative number of infections had risen to 15,104 cases.
Areas with the highest HFMD incidence rates per 100,000 residents included Con Dao Special Zone, Bình Khanh Commune and Long Dien Commune.
Meanwhile, cumulative dengue fever cases from the start of the year to mid-April reached 13,738, up more than 71 per cent compared to the same period last year. By May 3, the number had climbed to 15,935 cases.
The city has recorded one dengue-related death so far this year. Areas with high dengue infection rates included An Nhon Tay Commune, Tay Nam Ward and Tay Thạnh Ward.
In addition, HCM City reported 168 measles cases, 18 Covid-19 cases and one Mpox case, with no deaths linked to those diseases.
Regarding meningococcal disease, the Department of Health said it had instructed relevant units to organise training courses for all medical facilities across the city to strengthen professional capacity, treatment readiness and infection prevention measures.
Upper-level hospitals have also been tasked with providing technical support and guidance to lower-level facilities to ensure consistent and effective implementation of disease prevention and treatment measures.
The department has submitted a proposal to the HCM City People’s Committee seeking approval for an expanded immunisation programme covering the 2026–2028 period.
Despite the increase in infections, the department said the overall disease situation in the city remained under control, with no major outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases reported.
The health sector would continue implementing preventive measures and monitoring efforts to proactively contain outbreaks, it added.
Professor Phạm Văn Quang, head of the Intensive Care and Poison Control Department at Children’s Hospital 1, said the hospital had recently admitted several severe dengue shock cases accompanied by multi-organ failure.
Doctors at the hospital recently saved a 10-year-old girl from Đồng Tháp Province suffering from severe dengue shock and a serious inflammatory response that caused major liver damage.
The patient had experienced a high fever for five consecutive days along with vomiting and abdominal pain before being admitted to a local hospital, where she was diagnosed with dengue shock syndrome on the fifth day of illness while also being overweight.
Although she received intensive anti-shock fluid treatment, her liver enzyme levels increased to 100 times above normal.
After being transferred to Children’s Hospital 1, she developed respiratory failure, unstable haemodynamics and worsening liver damage.
Doctors immediately provided respiratory support, anti-shock treatment using albumin, blood transfusions and blood products to stabilise blood clotting. However, the patient continued to experience persistent high fever.
Further tests showed she had haemophagocytic syndrome associated with dengue fever, with an extremely severe inflammatory response and ferritin levels nearing 50,000 µg/L.
Following consultations between intensive care and haematology specialists, doctors decided to administer anti-inflammatory medication. After 24 hours, the patient’s fever subsided and liver damage gradually stabilised.
After one week of intensive treatment, her liver, kidney and blood clotting functions returned to normal. She is now alert, able to eat normally and is expected to be discharged in the coming days.
Quang warned that although haemophagocytic syndrome linked to dengue fever is rare, it is highly dangerous and can lead to liver failure, kidney failure, coagulation disorders and death if not treated promptly.
He advised parents to bring children to medical facilities early if they develop fever lasting two to three days accompanied by abdominal pain, persistent vomiting or bleeding symptoms during dengue season. — Vietnam News/ANN
