SGGP
On September 23, the Ministry of Health issued recommendations to the community on preventing Whitmore disease, also known as “flesh-eating” infection, after recording the death of a child due to this dangerous disease.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health stated that Whitmore disease is an infection in humans and animals caused by the bacteria Burkholderia Pseudomallei. B. pseudomallei bacteria exist naturally in soil, can contaminate water sources and are transmitted mainly through the skin when open wounds come into direct contact with contaminated soil, mud, or water. There is currently no evidence of human-to-human or animal-to-human transmission of the bacteria.
Whitmore's disease has a wide range of clinical manifestations, is difficult to diagnose, and can cause death due to complications of severe pneumonia, sepsis, and septic shock. People with underlying diseases such as diabetes, liver, kidney, chronic lung disease, immunodeficiency, etc. are at high risk of contracting the disease.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent Whitmore disease, so the main preventive measures are to ensure personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, and use of protective gear when working in contact with soil, mud, contaminated water, or in unsanitary environments.
According to the Ministry of Health, in our country, Whitmore disease was first discovered in 1925, then appeared sporadically over the years in some localities. The most recent cases were discovered in Dak Lak and Thanh Hoa provinces, in which the death on September 20 was a 15-year-old patient in Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa province.
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