As hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is spreading with rising patient numbers in southern Vietnam and has taken four children’s lives, Ho Chi Minh City health authorities set out three scenarios in response to the outbreak.

So far this year, the southern region has recorded more than 9,000 HFMD cases, of which four children died after suffering level four of the disease caused by Enterovirus 71, which spreads very quickly and results in many dangerous complications, the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City recently reported.

The number of HFMD patients has increased sharply since April in a lot of regional cities and provinces, such as Long An, An Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Bac Lieu and Tra Vinh, and the situation will get worse if no effective measures are taken soon, health experts warn.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the number of HFMD cases has surged in the past four weeks to over 2,400 cases.

All four deaths were cases that had been transferred from hospitals in the southern provinces to Ho Chi Minh City for further treatment but they succumbed to their critical condition.

The Can Tho City Children’s Hospital has recorded more than 2,260 HFMD cases since the beginning of this year and the patient number in May soared 140 percent month on month to 409 infections.

Experts predicted that there may be more severe HFMD cases and deaths in the near future and called on health authorities to adopt efficient measures for prevention and treatment of the disease.

In light of this situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health recently set up three scenarios to cope with possible epidemic developments.

The first scenario is planned for when fewer than 50 new hospital admissions are reported per day, and under 200 inpatients and 20 severe cases are in treatment at hospitals.

At that time, 200 regular beds and 30 intensive care unit (ICU) beds are required, and child patients will be treated at three pediatric hospitals of the city. 

If the new hospital admissions per day amount to 50-100 cases and the health system is serving 200-700 inpatients and 20-70 severe cases, the second scenario will be applied.

Accordingly, it will require 700 beds for common patients and 80 others for ICU patients, and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases will be added to the list of facilities to treat patients. 

The third scenario, with a total of 1,400 regular and 150 ICU beds, will be deployed when the city has 100-200 new patients per day and health facilities are treating 700-1,400 inpatients and 70-140 serious cases. 

The health department has requested the three pediatric hospitals and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases to reserve enough drugs and infusions, medical equipment, and supplies for each scenario. 

HFMD is common among young children and is transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract, thus it is important for kids and their caregivers to practice good personal hygiene, including washing hands before cooking or eating and after using the restroom, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) stated.

Symptoms of the disease include a mild or moderate fever, fatigue, a sore throat, a skin rash on palms, feet, knees, and buttocks, and sores on the lining of the cheeks, gums, and tongue.

Patients should be hospitalized if they suffer a high fever that cannot be reduced by paracetamol, vomiting, convulsions, and an increased heart rate, the HCDC advised.

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