A diphtheria testing sample being taken

According to Do Van Hung, Director of the provincial Department of Health, the patients are from Son Ngan Village in Gio Linh District.  

Hung added that the department is defining people who had close contact in order to have them tested. Meanwhile, sterilisation has also been conducted in vulnerable areas. The province will also ensure children are vaccinated.

At present, the patients are being quarantined at the district’s medical centre.

Earlier, on August 6, a nine-year-old girl in Song Ngan was found to have contracted diphtheria, becoming the first patient in the village.

In early July, Vinh Linh District in Quang Tri also detected five diphtheria cases that have all been discharged from hospital following their recovery.

The disease has affected many localities in Vietnam, particularly the Central Highlands.

Children in Vietnam aged below two are given free five-in-one vaccine shots that include diphtheria.

Diphtheria, which can be prevented with vaccination, is an infection caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheria bacterium. It spreads through the air and direct contact. Dtinews/Laodong

Large-scale vaccination campaign to be launched as diphtheria spreads

Vietnam is to launch a large-scale vaccination campaign against diphtheria, starting on July 9, as the contagious disease is evolving in a complex manner in the Central Highlands, with a total of 65 infections, including three deaths.