The patient is a 52-year-old resident of Ha Dong district and is the owner of a restaurant which sells blood pudding.

Two week ago he was suffering from symptoms such as high fever, nausea, and vomiting. The man went to the 103 Military Hospital to undergo an examination and his blood culture result tested positive for Streptococcus suis.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, deputy director of National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the majority of cases involve people eating raw pork or pork products, including tiết canh (fresh blood pudding), or dealing with pig slaughtering.

He said that once people become infected with Streptococcus suis, the disease develops quickly, leading to other issues such as septic shock, coma, and multiple organ failure.

In severe cases, Streptococcus suis infection can manifest itself into meningitis, toxic shock, and septicemia.

To prevent the disease, the doctor advised people to stop eating fresh blood pudding or raw pork, cook pork meat properly in order to eliminate the potential risk of infection, as no vaccination against the disease is available at the moment.

Furthermore, people should avoid the purchase, transport, or slaughter of pigs that are sick or dead, as well as practicing personal hygiene by using protective gloves when in contact with pigs.

Source: VOV