Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 26 fatalities since April 2011

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Well, here's where the reports of dioxin seem to be coming from. I don't see anything in this thread to indicate this chemical has anything to do with this outbreak.

While many American and Vietnamese people have had ill effects from exposure to that chemical over the past 40 years, the acute illness in this thread has not preivously been reported.

http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/society/breakfast-tuoitrenews-june-8-1.75121

[snip]

-- Experts have recently demanded that Agent Orange/Dioxin be taken into account when searching for the causes of the unidentified skin disease in the central province of Quang Ngai.

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

I believe the discrepancy between the 12 deaths in Ba To in this article and the 23 deaths elsewhere is the 11 patients who died at home without receiving treatment.

http://www.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Dieu-tri-hoi-chung-viem-da-day-sung-o-Quang-Ngai/20126/143861.vnplus

Treatment of gastritis in Quang Ngai horn
07/06/2012 | 15:43:00

Visiting patients in hard economic Ba Pham Van Dien. (Photo: Dinh Thi Huong / VNA) on 7/6, Workshop on diagnosis and treatment of dermatitis thick horn hands, feet due to medical Administration, Ministry of Health organization, was held in C Da Nang Hospital.

The workshop was attended by leading experts and representatives of the participating hospitals are treating patients with hand dermatitis thick horns, feet in the district of Ba To, Quang Ngai province.

The workshop aims to look back on the past one year of treatment of patients with hand dermatitis thick horns, feet in Quang Ngai and share expertise in treating this disease, thereby reducing mortality Early detection and treatment of patients.

At the workshop, participants agreed on the contents: The name of the disease is taking place in Ba To district (Quang Ngai) in recent times as thick horn syndrome, dermatitis hands, feet. It is caused by chronic poisoning, but not yet identified specific disease-causing toxins. Unified treatment of the Ministry of Health has issued about this treatment, and additional guidance on supportive therapy.

In the future, health care Management Department will work with the Bach Mai Hospital and Central Hospital Dermatology to put some patients with gastritis horn syndrome hands, feet out in Quang Ngai province hospitals to facilitate the work of meeting standards, testing and follow-up. All units in the health sector will give priority to relevant doctors sent to the district under the scheme Ba the Ministry of Health in 1816.

As reported at the workshop and the cumulative number of cases dermatitis thick horn syndrome hands, feet in the district of Ba To, Quang Ngai province since the first cases of disease on [April 19]/2011 to [June 5]/2012 is 215 cases, which were officially recorded 12 deaths and 44 cases of recurrence. This disease is occurring in 5 communes of Ba is Ba Dien District, Ba Amazingly [translation error! - alert], Ba Xa, Ba, Ba Vinh. In particular, concentrated in the village of Ba Dien Commune Moss (accounting for 55.67%). The rate of infection highest age group from 15-30 years of age is over 30%, of which 100% of patients from ethnic H 're.

At the workshop, medical Administration has submitted draft plan interventions reduce death from gastritis horn syndrome hands, feet in the Ba district (Quang Ngai) in 2012 to consult specialists in the industry before the official promulgation. /

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

The rate of infection highest age group from 15-30 years of age is over 30%, of which 100% of patients from ethnic H 're.

The Hr? are an ethnic group of more than 100,000 people concentrated in Quảng Ng?i and B?nh Định provinces.(link)

The first map below shows the general area of this novel outbreak circled in red. The second maps shows the general location of Hr? ethnic group in the region.





Ethnicity map from http://www.ikap-mmsea.org/images/ethnicmapvietnam.jpg

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Updated June, 08 2012 10:48:10 EmailPrint
Arsenic may be killer in mystery disease outbreak

...
Dr Nguyen Huy Tien from HCM City-based Paediatrics Hospital No 1 said biopsies on nine-year-old Pham Van Thach, who died on May 27, revealed a chemical could be to blame.
"My check-ups and tests on the patient indicate that arsenic could be involved," he said.
"The patient had dermatitis on his palms hands and feet, while his liver and kidney appear to be poisoned with chemicals," he said.
He said poisoned food, water or pesticides could be responsible, adding that most patients were diagnosed with breathing difficulties and traumas on the liver and kidney, elevated liver enzymes as well as skin peeling off the palms of the hands and feet.
...
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/...ay-be-killer-in-mystery-disease-outbreak.html

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Saturday, Jun 09, 2012, Posted at: 14:12(GMT+7)
Dioxin suspected as possible cause of bizarre skin disease
Doctors in the Children Hospital No.2 in Ho Chi Minh City are now suspecting exposure to dioxin as a possible cause of the bizarre skin disease in patients arriving from Ba To District in the central province of Quang Ngai.

More than a week back, the hospital had received three patients suffering from the unidentified skin disease, from Reu Village of Ba Dien Commune in Ba To District. Doctors took a biopsy of skin lesions from all the three patients, Pham Thi Tren, 14, Pham Dinh Hieu, 6, and Pham Quoc Bao, 5.

According to the doctors, the skin disease may be reoccurring due to exposure to toxic and harmful substances like dioxin, which can penetrate air, soil, sediments, food and water.

Dr. Ho Thi Kim Thoa, who is directly treating the above cases, said the children all suffered from severe damage to liver, kidney, heart and hearing, and their condition had not improved, despite blood filtering many times.
...
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Health/2012/6/101606/

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Change personal habits to eradicate skin disease: WHO
While looking into solutions to eradicate the bizarre and unidentified skin disease plaguing Ba To District in the central province of Quang Ngai, Dr. Babatunde Olowokure, acting head of the World Health Organization in Vietnam, said that it is important that local medical workers focus on bringing about a change in people?s personal habits.

Dr. Olowokure said that so far there has never been any medical record of such a skin disease in any of WHO?s medical journals.

This is a quite a new, bizarre and unknown disease in the world, he said. Hence it will take some time to determine its cause.

...
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/soc...al-habits-to-eradicate-skin-disease--who.html

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/...et-to-locate-toxin-of-fatal-skin-disease.aspx

Vietnam yet find toxin causing mysterious, fatal skin disease
Last Updated: Thursday, June 14, 2012 11:30:00

A patient from Quang Ngai Province?s Ba To District being treated for an unidentified skin condition at the Quy Hoa National Leprosy Dermatology Hospital in Binh Dinh Province

Scientists have concluded that the mysterious skin condition that has killed 23 and affected 215 people in Vietnam since last April is caused by chronic poisoning, but they have yet to determine the exact toxin responsible.

At a conference held in the central city of Da Nang on Tuesday, scientists said the disease that has been plaguing Ba To District in the central province of Quang Ngai was caused by some type of environmental contamination, the Vietnamnet news website reported Wednesday.

The condition begins with blisters on the hands and feet and loss of appetite, and may turn fatal due to organ failures, starting with the liver.

Earlier it was believed that the disease was related to local tainted rice and water sources, but even after local agencies cleaned up those areas of contamination, the spread of the disease only increased, the report said.

More than 100 scientists and experts from leading hospitals are rushing to identify the disease, now officially known as hoi chung viem da day sung ban tay ban chan, which translates into English as "the syndrome of dermatitis and horny layer thickening in foot and hand."

In the meantime, Vietnamese health agencies are working to limit the disease's death rate, said Tran Hau Khang, director of the Central Dermatology Hospital.

VnExpress last week quoted Dr. Babatunde Olowokure from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam as saying that the syndrome has no similarity with any disease or illness that has ever been known in the world.

It will therefore take more time to find the cause than expected, and that in some cases the cause will not be identifiable, the foreign expert said.

The Vietnamese health ministry recently asked for help from the WHO together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in handling the disease, after being criticized by the public for delaying seeking the support of international organizations.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Last update 19/06/2012 12:25:31 PM (GMT+7)


No dioxin, toxic chemicals in soil or water in Ba Dien Commune
Army scientists have ruled out the presence of dioxin or any other toxic chemical substances in the soil or water in Reu Village of Ba Dien Commune in the central province of Quang Ngai, where the bizarre and unidentified skin disease is plaguing local residents.

The Ba To District People?s Committee had earlier sent a document to the Ministry of Defense asking for assistance in finding the cause of the disease. Scientists from the ministry had announced the results after conducting tests of soil and water samples for one month.

According to test results, the stream water that Reu villagers in Ba Dien Commune use for cooking and daily use is heavily polluted from high levels of micro-organisms, said Colonel Dinh Ngoc Tan, president of the Institute of Military Chemical Environment.

Scientists added that other chemicals are still limited, and no traces of dioxin have been found. Content levels of insecticides and heavy metals were also found, but in permissible limits.
...
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/soc...cals-in-soil-or-water-in-ba-dien-commune.html

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/soc...cals-in-soil-or-water-in-ba-dien-commune.html

Last update 19/06/2012 12:25:31 PM (GMT+7)


No dioxin, toxic chemicals in soil or water in Ba Dien Commune
Army scientists have ruled out the presence of dioxin or any other toxic chemical substances in the soil or water in Reu Village of Ba Dien Commune in the central province of Quang Ngai, where the bizarre and unidentified skin disease is plaguing local residents.

The Ba To District People?s Committee had earlier sent a document to the Ministry of Defense asking for assistance in finding the cause of the disease. Scientists from the ministry had announced the results after conducting tests of soil and water samples for one month.

According to test results, the stream water that Reu villagers in Ba Dien Commune use for cooking and daily use is heavily polluted from high levels of micro-organisms, said Colonel Dinh Ngoc Tan, president of the Institute of Military Chemical Environment.

Scientists added that other chemicals are still limited, and no traces of dioxin have been found. Content levels of insecticides and heavy metals were also found, but in permissible limits.

Accordingly army scientists warned residents in the commune to boil stream water for daily use as well as clean up the surrounding environment. However, recent tests made on water and soil can be used as reference in finding causes of the disease, said Tan.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Anh, director of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, said he had examined more than 300 residents of Ba Dien Commune and other patients being treated in Ba To District Medical Center and the General Hospital in Quang Ngai Province.

He concluded that most of the people were suffering from malnutrition and pernicious anemia (few red blood corpuscles or low hemoglobin) which results in a flare up of the disease.

Moreover, disease symptoms in patients vary; some suffer from liver fibrosis, others from liver inflammation, malnutrition, or bleeding in digestive tracts, said Dr. Anh.

According to the latest statistics from the province?s health sector, 239 people have been affected by the disease from April 19, 2011 to June 6, 2012, with 23 fatalities. Currently, 20 people are being treated in hospitals in Quang Ngai Province and the Children Hospital No.2 in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

A rather graphic picture of a victim of the disease is at the link.

http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tu...in-bizarre-skin-disease-samples-tests-1.76506

Updated : Mon, June 18, 2012,12:31 PM (GMT+0700)

After testing the water and soil samples taken from the Quang Ngai Province’s Ba To District, where 23 people have been killed by an unidentified skin syndrome since last year, experts said dioxin had been not found in them.

Dioxin not found in bizarre skin disease samples: testsThe tests have been carried out by the Military Chemical Environment Institute under the High Command of Chemistry, said Le Han Phong, chairman of the District, where the strange syndrome broke out in April 2011.

Many experts suggested at a seminar held on June 7 in Da Nang City that dioxin should be considered as a possible cause of the strange syndrome that has affected about 200 people in the district.

The syndrome is characterized by thickened skin (keratosis) over the palms and soles, causing stiffness in the limbs and ulcers on victims’ hands and feet that look like burns.

But now experts from the institute have confirmed that dioxin, as well as other chemicals that were used in the Vietnam War before 1975, have been not found in the water and mud samples.

However, the samples were found to be infected with microorganisms at a level that is 1.3-3 times higher than the acceptable limits, said the institute.

The results are identical with those of the tests that were earlier conducted by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Both agencies have concluded that the water source at Go Khe Mountain has been seriously polluted.

Many residents in Reu, Go Nghenh and Hi Long hamlets of the district’s Ba Dien Commune have taken water from the source for their daily activities, authorities said.

As previously reported, the bizarre disease, which first occurred in the district on April 19, 2011, has so far spread to five communes in the district, including Ba Dien, Ba Ngac, Ba Xa, Ba Vinh and Ba To.

The Health Ministry has yet to identify the cause of the disease.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

"Strange disease" appeared in Quang Ngai expression "strange" new
19/06/2012 14:14




These days, at Ba Dien Commune, Ba district, Quang Ngai province, many patients with "unknown disease" are faced with the fear from the new expression outside the thick horn syndrome, dermatitis hands, feet. This makes it local people more confused, because the cause of this evil disease has not yet been determined.

During the latest visit of the delegation Dr. Bach Mai Hospital - Hanoi, although many patients have been cured, or ordinary people in Ba Dien communes, also have additional symptoms such as shortness of breath , chest,eat less, vomiting, burning face ...:tiphat: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=vi&tl=en&u=http://hanoimoi.com.vn/newsdetail/Doi-song/550908/benh-la-o-quang-ngai-xuat-hien-bieu-hien-la-moi.htm&usg=ALkJrhigg7IX-XXiLD7-sCrbaYnh7dB_Yg

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

...Particularly, the index is higher due to microbial contamination of water sources. Institute recommends Enter Three people held communal sanitary accommodation and use of water to boil.

Institute participants only tests samples of soil, water and health authorities in Quang Ngai province to find references cause dermatitis hands and feet horn in Quang Ngai Province.

According to the health sector in Quang Ngai province, since the first cases were discovered in 19 - 4-2011 to 15 - 6 - 2012, has infected 239 people, most Ba Dien in which 23 cases were fatal, 45 serious relapse. There are 28 cases being treated at the medical facility from District II to Children's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.:tiphat:http://www.tienphong.vn/xa-hoi/581484/Benh-la-o-Ba-To-khong-phai-do-chat-doc-quan-su-tpol.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

......An opaque eye paralyzed, signs of elevated liver enzymes, fatal symptoms common in patients, "stranger". I heard Mr. Le Han Feng, chairman of Ba To district information, a few days, who suffered chest, abdomen, vomiting foot without arms and legs in this community suddenly increased, hepatic enzyme tests show high, but not recognized as unknown disease.

The villagers do not know it, just know that the panic is growing. The number of sick people, "strange" the district has up to 240 cases, of which 16 cases of particularly serious, are unlikely to survive. Farmers are not going to give up farming fields.A district leaders say that, upon the occurrence of disease, we have noted that, where cattle drink water, near the end when they die...
:tiphat:http://www.tienphong.vn/xa-hoi/581331/Mat-lang-Reu-tpp.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

WHO: Look for causes of disease "strange" is a challenge
Wednesday, 06.20.2012, 08:12 AM (GMT +7)
Event: "strange disease" in Quang Ngai
There were two experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States for Disease Control (CDC) to support the investigation of Quang Ngai cause "strange" horns inflammatory skin thickness in the hands and feet day.
Tuy course, 19-6 Monday, information from the Health Ministry said initial reports about the disease by health professionals VN, CDC and WHO that have yet to find the root cause, even Although scientists seem increasingly closer to the destination.

Because mycotoxins mycotoxin group?

The investigation by the Ministry of Health, WHO and CDC found some patients to eat rice crop before harvest and mold aflatoxin found in some samples of rice, many patients suffer from malnutrition and liver damage.

However, the study found no evidence of heavy metals or agrochemicals with high levels in samples of human and environmental occurrence area. In particular, also found no evidence of infection due to root disease.

Implement screening measures cause, the Health Ministry said that fungi mycotoxins, including aflatoxin, is likely to lead to disease causes a whole lot more.

Accordingly, dioxin is very little possibility, even very rare cause, because if related to dioxin, the consequence is the rate of birth defects cases higher, but this is not true for sick phenomenon "weird" Quang Ngai. If acute poisoning, the expression must be an expansion, all the facial deformity as a former head of Ukraine had been poisoned by the encounter.While the phenomenon in Quang Ngai have liver damage, but long-term exposure to high levels of aflatoxin can lead to liver damage (in Quang Ngai, aflatoxin has been detected in several samples of grain, rice brewed, people here is brewed rice feeding practices).

Undiscovered reason, to do?

While not yet discovered the cause of the disease, there were many comments tackle the situation. In particular, Quang Ngai Province has proposed to relocate the entire population living Ba Dien commune area (areas with the largest number of patients in social diseases "strange"), but Luong Ngoc Khue - chief of the Administration medical reasons, the Ministry of Health - that consideration be given this proposal very carefully, because the last time just put the patient to the hospital they did not know and many have fled the hospital.




If relocation of a large community of 1,400 people, with the practices, customs, many lives would be very difficult. Initially, to minimize the morbidity and recurrence, people should use white rice provided by local authorities, vitamins and nutritional supplements, ensuring environmental sanitation and personal hygiene, and disease detection Early and timely personnel to medical facilities.

Repeat is an expression of new patients / recurrent skin infections horns thick hands and feet for about two weeks significantly decreased, similar to 2011 almost no new patients in two months 6-7 .

Ministry of Health said this precious time will be spent to search for the possibility of interference, avoid repeating the phenomenon of massive increase of morbidity and mortality as early as 2012. WHO is also committed to continue to support the VN technique, but recommends "finding the cause can be longer than expected and is a challenge." By the WHO, chronic skin thick hands and feet horn in Quang Ngai unprecedented in the world.
:tiphat:http://us.24h.com.vn/suc-khoe-doi-song/who-tim-nguyen-nhan-benh-la-la-thu-thach-c62a463181.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Mushrooms are the true perpetrators unknown disease?

Updated at: 6:42 AM, 21/06/2012

(Land Vietnam) Ministry of Health is very likely that the aflatoxin mold that causes strange disease raging in Quang Ngai. On 20/6, at the press meeting, the Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the results of the study from 4/2011 showed no evidence of infection lead to "strange" .
Ability due to dioxin poisoning are few. Currently, the Health Ministry said that fungi mycotoxins, including aflatoxin, it is likely that the root cause to most diseases. By following these tests be performed at Bach Mai Hospital in Quang Ngai people, the most elevated liver enzymes. In Quang Ngai, aflatoxin has been detected in various rice samples annealed (people here have brewed rice feeding practices).
Meanwhile, prolonged exposure to aflatoxin can lead to liver damage. Ms. Tien also said the Health Ministry is proposing to support water treatment plan and provide essential vitamins, especially vitamin B3 for the people.:tiphat:http://baodatviet.vn/Home/doisong/Nam-moi-that-la-thu-pham-gay-benh-la/20126/218024.datviet

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Killer skin disease in Vietnam once seen in Kenya: Minister
Last Updated: Thursday, June 21, 2012 02:40:00


The mysterious skin disease that has killed 23 people in the central province of Quang Ngai over the past year has similarities with a case once recorded in Kenya, Vietnam's health minister said Wednesday.
A Tuoi Tre newspaper report Thursday quoted Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien as saying that in the Kenya case, people contracted the disease because they had eaten molded corn and the death rate among those afflicted was 25 percent.

The disease was controlled after people were given clean food, she said, without giving further details about the case.
...
http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/...al-skin-condition-once-recorded-in-kenya.aspx

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

The article also contains the revealing line, potentially driving the start of this outbreak back a decade:

http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/...al-skin-condition-once-recorded-in-kenya.aspx

According to Tien, the skin condition actually appeared in Ba To in 2003, but not many cases were recorded then.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Dubious herbs confiscated in district plagued by fatal skin disease
Last Updated: Sunday, June 24, 2012 01:25:00




Health officials in central Vietnam have confiscated a large amount of herbs of unclear origins being used by people who live in an area that has been plagued by a mysterious skin condition that killed 23 people so far.

Officials from Quang Ngai Province's Health Department have sent samples of the medicine found in Ba Dien Commune of Ba To District to the Health Ministry for testing.

Locals have been asked to stop using the medicine, which is in the form of a powder, ostensibly of roots, branches and dry leaves. Chinese labels found on the package say the medicine is for treating liver cancer.

...
http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/...vietnam-district-plagued-by-skin-disease.aspx

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/society/24262/strange-skin-disease-is-chronic-intoxication.html

Last update 29/06/2012 02:18:21 PM (GMT+7)

Strange skin disease is chronic intoxication
VietNamNet Bridge ? The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 28 made a joint-statement on the bizarre skin disease in Ba To district of the central province of Quang Ngai.

According to the Ministry of Health, the strange disease in Quang Ngai is actually a chronic intoxication, which can cause inflammation and wounds in hands, feet and liver. Only people in Ba To district are discovered to suffer from this syndrome.

The first patients were reported in Ba To district last April. By June 2012, a total of 216 cases have been recorded, including 12 deaths, in five communes of Ba To district. At present, 18 people are being treated at hospitals in Quang Ngai and neighboring provinces.

The Ministry of Health has conducted many surveys in Ba To and until now, it has not found out the reasons causing this strange disease. However, the Ministry has excluded infection as a cause.

In addition, many patients were malnourished and many of them ate rice that contained aflatoxins, which is toxic for human. Experts also did not find out heavy metal or agricultural chemicals in samples collected from patients or environment in Ba To.

The WHO and the US Center for Disease Control (USCDC) have closely combined with the Ministry of Health to research this disease. In early June, two WHO and USCDC?s experts came to Vietnam to work with the Preventive Medicine Agency.

?We support the Ministry of Health?s measures to control the disease in Quang Nam and we believe that the Ministry is going in the right direction. As we do not know about the source of this syndrome, seeking for the cause may be longer than schedule and would be a challenge,? said Dr. Takeshi Kasai, chief WHO representative in Vietnam.

 

[alert]

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

Re: Viet Nam - Quang Ngai: Undiagnosed illness, 23 fatalities since April 2011 in Ba To commune, 4 in Son Ky

http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tu...ed-for-people-in-bizarre-disease-area-1.78011

Relocation proposed for people in bizarre disease area
Updated : Fri, June 29, 2012,12:34 PM (GMT+0700)

In the face of an unidentified skin syndrome that broke out in April 2011 and has killed 23 local residents so far, authorities of Quang Ngai Province?s Ba To District have proposed a relocation of 79 families there.

Pham Viet Nho, secretary of the district Party Committee, raised the proposal at the 9th conference of the provincial Party Committee yesterday.

He said these families, consisting of with 344 people in Ba Dien Commune?s Reu Village, should be relocated to a new residential area to get rid of the strange disease, which is characterized by thickened skin (keratosis) over the palms and soles, causing stiffness in the limbs and ulcers on victims? hands and feet that look like burns.

The bizarre disease has so far affected more than 240 district residents, most of who live in the village, Nho said.

If the proposed relocation is carried out, authorities will continue to monitor the disease to see if the removal helped ease its spread, Nho added.

Le Quang Thich, deputy chairman of the provincial People?s Committee, said the committee has discussed the issue many times but has yet to come to a decision, since the resettlement of more than 300 people is not a simple task.

The committee will have to consider this proposal carefully before approving it, Thich said.
Also yesterday, the World Health Organization Office in Vietnam and the country?s Ministry of Health jointly issued a press release saying that they have yet to identify the cause of the strange skin syndrome.

Earlier this month, two experts from WHO and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) arrived in Vietnam to take part in the investigation of the mysterious disease, which first occurred in the district on April 19, 2011 and has so far spread to five communes in the district, including Ba Dien, Ba Ngac, Ba Xa, Ba Vinh and Ba To.
.