The patient in Dong Nai died at the provincial children hospital on September 9. The nine-year-old boy, who lived in Don Riu Hamlet, Hang Gon Commune, Long Khanh Township, fell ill on August 28, and was taken to the Long Khanh General Hospital on September 2 when having a high fever. One day later, he was sent to the children hospital in a deep coma, with respiration failure and cardiac collapse.

The treatment sub-committee reported that they had all suffered from chronic conditions such as mental problems, diabetes or high blood pressure, according to a review of the fatalities.

Stressing the importance of early detection, the board also noted that their late hospitalization makes treatment ineffective.

Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan asked relevant agencies to continue investigating the dead cases for better diagnosis and treatment.

Dr Nguyen Van Kinh from the Institute of Contagious and Tropical Diseases emphasized that his institute has acquired a good number of biological substances needed for lab testing. This confirmation was expected to ease public worries over the possible shortage of such substances amid the complicated developments of the epidemic.

As winter provides ideal conditions for the virus to develop, the institutes of preventive medicine are doing research on quick tests, which may bring higher efficiency at lower costs -just one-sixth of the price of the current Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.

The epidemic is spreading in Vietnam, with an additional 110 confirmed cases reported on September 9 alone, raising the total tally to 4,060.

Three-fourths of those cases have been discharged from hospital while the rest are in quarantine for medical treatment.

All patients are reported to be in a stable condition.