A 15-year-old girl in Quang Xuong District under Thanh Hoa Province, located in north-central Vietnam, died of Whitmore's disease, also known as melioidosis, after many days of intensive treatment at Thanh Hoa Pediatric Hospital.

The hospital confirmed the death of the young resident of Tien Trang Commune in the district on Tuesday.

The patient was transferred to Thanh Hoa Pediatric Hospital on September 4, with some symptoms of respiratory failure and heart arrhythmias, according to the hospital.

After undergoing a test, she was diagnosed with a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei, which causes Whitmore's disease, an infectious and fatal illness.

Due to the serious health problem, the patient died in a state of multi-organ failure.

The girl showed symptoms of a sore throat, cough, high fever, and weight loss from August 22 to 30, said the Quang Xuong District Healthcare Center.

Her family bought medicine and treated her at home in vain.

She was rushed to the An Phuc Clinic in Tien Trang Commune on September 1 for a medical check-up and treatment, but then her health condition worsened.

The girl was admitted to the Central Hospital 71 in Quang Tam Commune under Thanh Hoa City, and was transferred to Thanh Hoa Pediatric Hospital.

In November last year, Thanh Hoa Province reported two Whitmore’s disease cases, with one of them dying in a state of multi-organ failure, septic shock, and intestinal necrosis.

Doctors say that melioidosis infection commonly involves the lungs, causing pneumonia, high fever, night sweats, weight loss, bloody sputum, and pus or blood in the lung tissues.

There is no vaccine against Whitmore’s disease, so those exhibiting suspected symptoms of the disease such as high fever, chest pain, stomachache, headache, and convulsion should visit medical facilities for check-ups and tests.

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