•  Hand-foot-mouth disease becomes more complicated

Hua Ngoc Thuan, deputy chairman of the municipal People's Committee, said staff will be sent to the provinces with the highest fatality and infection rates in order to prevent the disease spreading further.

The number of infected people rose sharply compared with last year, particularly in highly populated areas, said Thuan.

A total of 1,351 people have contracted the disease in HCM City so far this year, three times higher than the figure recorded in the same period last year, according to Pham Viet Thanh, director of the municipal Department of Health. One person has died this year.

An average of 200 people are hospitalised every week in HCM City.

Tang Chi Thuong, director of Children's Hospital No1 in HCM City, said the poor competency of primary-care doctors as well as lack of essential medical equipment at community health facilities led to inappropriate treatment for patients.

In many cases, children with hand-foot-mouth disease were diagnosed as having pneumonia at district-level hospitals in southern provinces such as Vinh Long, Dong Thap and An Giang. They were later transferred to HCM City hospitals in serious condition.

Children's Hospital No 1 received more than 1,300 children with the disease, four times higher than last year's figure, he said, adding that two children from Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces died after they were admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

The disease has killed 11 people nationwide and more than 12,500 people have contracted the disease this year, seven times higher than last year.