VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Health has commended experiments carried out by Nguyen Van Khai, a former official at the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology, in treating the hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in children with a substance called anolyte, an activated solution produced by electro-chemical activation.

A teacher at Kim Lien Pre-School in Ha Noi's Dong Da District helps children wash their hands with soap. This is a simple but effective way to prevent hand-foot-mouth disease which is reported to have spread nationwide. (Photo: VNS)

The ministry also ordered the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang to test and verify the treatment and file a report as soon as possible.

Anolyte is said to be a powerful disinfectant against bacteria, viruses and algae, even when diluted in water or sprayed in the air.

Khai said that anolyte was produced by the electrolysis of ordinary tap water containing dissolved sodium chloride at a rate of five grams per litre.

According to Khai, the cost is cheaper than other antiseptic solutions, including Chloramine-b and Surfanios.

And it costs just VND200 to buy a litre of anolyte compared to VND6,000 for the other two disinfectants.

Khai visited central Ninh Thuan last Friday when it was the first province to officially declare to be experiencing an epidemic.

The ministry's Preventive Medicine Department reported that 2,622 new cases of the HFMD were recorded last week in 56 provinces and cities, increasing the number of patients found with the disease since the beginning of this year to 87,500.

The disease has so far this year claimed 147 lives in 28 provinces and cities.

In HCM City, the number of patients with the HFMD from November 3-9 was 238, the lowest number in the last six months.

But Ninh Thuan and Binh Dinh provinces recorded increasing numbers of cases.

In Ninh Thuan Province, the number of patients passed the 600 mark on Monday.

The number has also reached alarming levels in Binh Dinh Province, where more than 1,000 cases have been recorded so far this year.