Vietnam killed by mysterious skin disease

Mysterious deadly skin disease in Vietnam worries the WHO

04/24/2012

In Vietnam, more than 170 people have contracted a mysterious skin disease that resulted in 19 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) was concerned, especially as the cause of the ulcers and eczema remains unclear. At present, it is still unclear whether it is a viral or bacterial infectious disease or whether other triggers such as environmental influences come into consideration.

According to the WHO, the victims of the enigmatic skin disease suffer from stiff limbs, body aches and ulcers on their hands and feet. The ulcers act like severe burns, in which the skin slowly dissolves from the body. In addition, about every tenth patient suffers from acute liver disorders, which probably also contribute to the fact that the death rate is so high, so the speculation of the physicians.

Mysterious skin disease with a high death rate
More than 170 people in Vietnam are suffering from the mysterious skin disease and 19 have died as a result. WHO was also particularly concerned by the high death rate. The physicians on site could so far no cause of the disease, in which first on the hands and feet violent ulcers form and later also the liver can be affected determine. Especially children under the age of ten are affected. The WHO has informed the Vietnamese health authorities about the mysterious disease. However, in the absence of the details of the disease, no assessment by WHO could be submitted. However, the reports indicate that the cases are concentrated in the district of Ba To in the coastal province of central Vietnam's Quang Ngai.

Health authorities are on the lookout for the causes of the puzzling skin disease
Given the spread of the enigmatic skin disease, which resulted in more than ten percent of those affected death, the health authorities in Vietnam are currently looking at high pressure for possible causes. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has opened an investigation, but its results are still pending, said Dang Thi Phuong, director of the Ba To Health Center. "That's why we do not know much about this disease yet," Dang Thi Phuong continues. However, health authorities believe that the potentially deadly skin disease is at least not contagious. According to Dang Thi Phuong, the Ministry of Health intends to consult foreign experts promptly to investigate the causes of the mysterious skin disease and possible treatment methods. So far, however, had received no request from Hanoi, reports the WHO. (Fp)