Disease outbreaks strike Ha Tinh City
11:01' 11/11/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge –
As many as 35 people in Ha Tinh City have been stricken with acute diarrhoea, while 54 others have contracted dengue fever.

The latest information from the province's Preventive Healthcare Centre said that of those affected by acute dianhoea, 11 have tested positive for the vibrio cholera bacteria.
Thach Kim Commune in Loc Ha District is the hardest hit with 30 people hospitalised as of yesterday morning due to the epidemic. Two household wells in the commune were tested by the centre and found to contain the bacteria.
The epidemic may have originated from Quynh Phuong Commune, Quynh Luu District of Nghe An Province, according to Nguyen Luong Tam, vice director of the centre.
The first patient was hospitalised on November 2. It appears he contracted the disease while fishing in Thach Kim Commune, Loc Ha District.
Dao Van The, director of the Preventive Healthcare Centre of Loc Ha District, said that about 2,500 people in Thach Kim Commune were living without toilets and often relieved themselves on the beach. "A more serious concern is that residents often wash fish with the local water source and sell them to other areas," said The.

Thach Kim Commune in Loc Ha District is the hardest hit with 30 people hospitalised as of yesterday morning due to the epidemic. Two household wells in the commune were tested by the centre and found to contain the bacteria.
The provincial Department of Health has provided Loc Ha District with essential medicine for those affected. The Ministry of Health has also provided the province with one tonne of Cloramine B and a sprayer.
The dengue fever outbreak occurred in Nghi Xuan District of Ha Tinh Province. The main cause of the epidemic was the stagnant waters left over from the recent floods, director of the provincial Preventive Healthcare Centre Nguyen Van Hien said.
"We have isolated the patients and provided preventive drugs to those who have been in contact with sufferers of acute diarrhoea," said Hien. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2008/11/812983/