Cholera heavily hits Mekong delta

June 20, 2010

LookAtVietnam - Provinces in the Mekong delta are fighting cholera as near-epidemic of cholera is plaguing the region with over 50 people infected and over 500 persons suffering from acute diarrhea.

Cholera strikes Mekong Delta

Four Mekong delta provinces of Ben Tre, Tien Giang, An Giang and City Can Tho reported cases. Ben Tre is one of eight provinces with fifty cases and over 500 acute diarrhea patients.

Meanwhile An Giang after three month hiatus, medical workers confirmed four cholera cases in Long Xuyen City and district Cho Moi, first cholera case is reportedly positive for the virulent vibrio cholera virus in Tien Giang’s district Cai Be.

Medical workers fretted about the waste treatment in the Cu Lao Minh General Hospital in Ben Tre where is overloaded with cholera patients because they have carried out tests and found the virulent vibrio cholera virus present in a Mo Cay River and a river in An Giang’s district An Phu.

69 cholera cases have been reported in nine provinces and cities this year, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, deputy minister Trinh Quan Huan said on June 7.

The bacterium that has been causing cholera in Vietnam since 2007 is growing more toxic and dangerous, the Ministry of Health reported on June 7.

The ministry noted that the current strain of V.chlerae and type O1 is different from that which caused the acute intestinal disease in Vietnam before 2007, adding that the new type has a far longer lifespan in the environment. Mr. Huan pointed out the current strain in Vietnam is similar that caused pandemic in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.