Whitmore’s disease kills woman in Quang Nam
VOV.VN - Quang Nam province's Department of Health announced on October 23 the death of a woman after contracting an infectious disease called melioidosis, also known as Whitmore's disease.
According to the information, a 47-year-old woman was transferred to Tam Tri General Hospital on October 11 after suffering from symptoms of respiratory failure, fatigue, and high fever.
After receiving emergency treatment she was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, and acute hyperglycemia, as well as suffering from sepsis caused by a staph infection.
The patient already had diabetes, but she had stopped receiving treatment one year ago.
The hospital took her blood samples and then sent it to Phan Chau Trinh University for tests. However, due to the serious health problems she was suffering the patient died after being transferred to Da Nang Hospital for further treatment on October 11.
On October 14, the test results came back positive for Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacteria that causes Whitmore’s disease.
Whitmore's disease has symptoms such as fever, pneumonia, and abscesses, as well as inflammation of the brain and joints. It has a mortality rate of around 40%.
There are around 10,000 cases worldwide each year, most of which are detected during the rainy season. There is currently no vaccine for the disease.
