The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) has noted that the rapid increase in hand, foot, and mouth disease cases, coupled with the onset of dengue fever season, poses a risk of multiple outbreaks occurring simultaneously in Ho Chi Minh City.
On the evening of June 5th, representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health announced the results of viral sequencing of six hand, foot, and mouth disease samples, showing that all were infected with the EV71 strain, genotype B5, a highly virulent strain that causes severe illness and spreads rapidly. Authorities assessed the appearance of this virus strain as a "truly worrying situation." According to statistics, the number of cases in early June was more than double that of the previous two weeks, including a 5-year-old boy who died from hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Children's hospitals in the city are currently treating 20-25 inpatient cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease (each hospital) per day, many of which are severe. In contrast, in previous months, the average was only 5-6 hospitalized children, or sometimes none at all.
Along with hand, foot, and mouth disease, Ho Chi Minh City is preparing for the peak season of dengue fever , predicted to begin in the next 2-3 weeks and last until the end of October. Monitoring by the HCDC (Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control) on disease prevention activities in wards and communes shows that there are 20 high-risk areas (with mosquito larvae) out of a total of 39 areas, accounting for over 50%.
"This rate will certainly be even higher when the city enters the rainy season if each locality and each household does not aggressively eliminate mosquitoes and larvae to control the epidemic," a representative from the HCDC said, adding that the number of dengue fever cases at hospitals has started to increase slightly, with severe cases accounting for about 10%.
The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) assesses that Ho Chi Minh City faces a very high risk of a double epidemic (hand, foot and mouth disease - dengue fever). The consequence of this is that it can easily lead to an overload of the healthcare system, which in turn can cause errors, hospital infections, and cross-infection among pediatric patients.
On the afternoon of June 6th, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued an urgent document requesting units to prevent and control hand, foot, and mouth disease, emphasizing high-risk areas such as daycare centers, kindergartens, primary schools, residential areas, and boarding houses with many children. Residents were advised to maintain a clean living environment, monitor for symptoms, and seek timely medical attention, avoiding complacency. The Department of Health also stated that it has developed scenarios for admitting and treating patients if the number of cases increases; ensuring sufficient medication and personnel.
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