HANOI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's National Hospital of Pediatrics (NHP) has received over 50 whooping cough cases over the past two months, with four deaths reported, according to Tran Minh Dien, the hospital deputy director on Tuesday.
According to Dien, the number of whooping cough cases is on strong rise compared to previous years. In 2015, over 10 cases were hospitalized while that of 2016 was 12 cases.
However, in January-February period this year, over 50 cases were recorded in the NHP. Especially, most of the patients are kids under three months old who have not gotten or gotten enough vaccination against the disease.
Many of them were hospitalized in serious conditions and had to receive mechanical ventilation, said Dien on local Tien Phong (Pioneer) online newspaper on Tuesday.
In a related move, Vietnamese Health Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on Monday sent an urgent document urging localities to strengthen preventing and combating whooping cough by providing kids with sufficient vaccination, frequent hand washing with soap, covering one's mouth when coughing or sneezing. If witnessing any suspected symptoms, the patient should be isolated and brought to medical facility to receive treatment, said the ministry.
