Mystery Illness: Vietnam Asks World Health Organization To Help Identify Killer Disease

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has asked international health experts to help investigate a mystery illness that has killed 19 people and sickened 171 others in an impoverished district in central Vietnam, an official said Friday.

The infection has mostly affected children and young people. It begins with a high fever, loss of appetite and a rash that covers the hands and feet. Patients who are not treated early can develop liver problems and eventually face multi-organ failure, said Le Han Phong, chairman of the People's Committee in Ba To District in Quang Ngai province.

Nearly 100 people remain hospitalized, including 10 in critical condition. Patients with milder symptoms are being treated at home. The illness responds well to treatment if detected early, but 29 patients have been reinfected, Phong said.

The Ministry of Health sent a team of health officials to the area earlier this month, but they were unable to determine the cause of the illness. The ministry has since asked the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help investigate.

A WHO spokesman said the Geneva-based body hadn't yet received the request from Vietnam.

"We can't investigate without an official request," said Tarik Jasarevic.

The ailment was first detected last April, but the number of cases had died down by October. A fresh spate of infections started last month, with 68 cases and eight deaths reported between March 27 and April 5, Phong said.

Most of the patients are from Ba Dien village in Ba To. It is one of the poorest districts in the province and home to many from the Hre ethnic minority.

Comments

[Steve1828]

07:01 PM on 04/22/2012

Anyone have any idea what "treatment" means? Big difference if it's antibiotics vs. supportive care. Like bacterial vs. viral, or something else. Strange that no information is given about the treatment.

[Victoria-nola]

01:20 AM on 04/22/2012

Highly likely Agent Orange. Who is aware that Monsanto is currently trying to get approval to force new GE (Genetically Engineered) seeds that can be sprayed with Agent Orange and not die. Currently the Monsanto GMOs can be sprayed with Roundup and not die (Roundup Ready), but that's created superweeds that won't die by Roundup, so now Monsanto is moving on to Agent-Orange-Ready corn.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24592.cfm

Roundup is not safe for anything living, and Agent Orange even more so. Furthermore, Monsanto claims these GE seeds increase productivity, but that's a lie. Studies show yields are not significantly better. And, it costs farmers more money to use the Monsanto system. But, it makes Monsanto rich because farmers are locked into buying seed and chemicals from them every year.

[dossthane]

10:40 PM on 04/21/2012

Sounds rather like a case in Yunnan China, also a rather rural and poor area, eventually tied to a type of poisonous mushroom. The timing--starting in April--is about right, too. See Science magazine for July 9, 2010 and March 16, 2012.

[sarahwishingwell]

09:25 PM on 04/21/2012

How about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever it is caused by infected tick bite and can be fatal

[Michael Favorov]

01:49 PM on 04/21/2012

KAWASAKI Disease?

[Lan Dinh]

08:05 AM on 05/05/2012

I don't think Kawasaki Dz given that many people of different ages are infected. I think it's Leptospira Interrogans infection due to water contaminated with animal urine.

[David Lari]

01:46 PM on 04/21/2012

Mystery illnesses aren't new. Google English Sweating Sickness; the cause of which has never been determined.

[tccat4]

08:34 AM on 04/21/2012

There were some soldiers that had to stay behind, there was nothing anyone could do to cure them. It wouldn't react to anything we already tried. If it isn't in the water, or in the food, then it could be airborne.
It will be interesting to find its origin. Agent Orange some are still fighting about. Vietnam was never declared a war, but a conflict, and the exposed had to fight just to get the government listen to any of us. Its still a long fight. Every time we get close they keep changing the rules....

[BacSi]

11:59 AM on 04/21/2012

"There were some soldiers that had to stay behind, there was nothing anyone could do to cure them"

Now where did you get this? A link please.

So you are suggesting, unless you wrote this wrong, that the USA left troops behind in VN because they had an un-curable condition?

If you meant something else then so be it.

But we left no one behind because of any medical conditions.

None.

[cuoi]

11:14 PM on 04/21/2012

I heard rumors of a special camp in the Philippines for guys with weird diseases.

[soldier123]

02:04 AM on 04/21/2012

When I was in Stationed in the 60s in Viet Nam there was a desease just like that . We were told not to swim in lakes or drink the local water that was not purified.

[BacSi]

12:03 PM on 04/21/2012

I did small team recon work. In the dry-HOT season we always had water issues.

One of my worst memories was being out of water for well over a day in 100+ heat.

We sent a Marine or two down to the rice paddies with canteens.

Shite water. That is what we drank.

I had pitch coal black stools for many weeks. Cramps that would send me to my knees.

I still expect to pay a price for that water.

[cuoi]

11:20 PM on 04/21/2012

When I got to camp in the mountains, I was issued a flight survival vest. The amphetamine tablets I could figure out but the Trojan rubbers I thought someone put it in as a joke so I asked about it, saying if I have to di di when would I have time for boom boom? Apparently, there are flukes in the water that swim up your urethra and you locked and loaded a Trojan before crossing a stream. Because I was a pilot, they would only issue a lousy sidearm and we had to lock them up at the hanger after missions. So I traded my strobe light for a Thompson. Figured I needed a machine gun more than a flashing light...

[joeysdavies]

12:56 AM on 04/21/2012

Sounds similar to kawasaki disease.

[anitafeeney]

05:29 AM on 04/22/2012

ok i have seen this commented about a couple of times already what is kawasaki disease exactly can you tell me please

[joeysdavies]

12:54 AM on 04/21/2012

Sounds like kawasaki disease.

[shtr45acp]

12:46 AM on 04/21/2012

cold agglutinins, inf mono, mycobac-t, foot/mouth viruses, hiv. Good luck Vietnam....would like to help.

[shtr45acp]

12:43 AM on 04/21/2012

cold agglutinins, mono, mycoplasmas.....

[LOVEALLANIMALS]

12:43 AM on 04/21/2012

A new chemical being tested on those poor people who are considered waste eaters by the government?

Now we know what it does and how it kills.

The young people.....................babies, people with compromised immune systems always catch whatever first.

Could this be a form of population control?

[cuoi]

11:23 PM on 04/21/2012

Vietnam tries to persuade families to limit it to 2.

[bellalida]

12:31 AM on 04/21/2012

De-regulation! Why not pollute the whole world?

[wwhatever747]

12:13 AM on 04/21/2012

T oo many babies, mothers! Time for Mother Nature to sweep back. Karma kills too.

[EvolveorPerish]

12:56 AM on 04/21/2012

You were a baby too, why don't you do something about your birth-
Wait- are you Bill Gates?

[DmKrispin]

08:00 AM on 04/21/2012

I rather think that fathers are a key component of the overpopulation problem, too. ;)