Two people in Ho Chi Minh City with malaria imported from Africa

On the morning of June 4, Doctor, Doctor Ho Dang Trung Nghia, Head of Viet Anh Infection Department, Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City confirmed that 2 patients with malignant malaria were imported from Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

Specifically, one patient is a 24-year-old female, an international student, living in Binh Thanh district and returning from Cameroon. One day after entering the country, the girl had a fever and took medicine but did not get better. On the 6th day, the patient had a blood test to detect malaria parasites and was treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

At the time of admission, the patient was comatose, jaundiced, high density of malaria parasites, anemia and red-brown urine.

The second patient is a 63-year-old man, Chinese nationality, imported from Ivory Coast. When he arrived at Tan Son Nhat airport, he was taken to a hospital to check his health because he had fever symptoms. Tests showed high density of malaria parasites, kidney failure, liver damage, lactic acidosis.

The patients were actively treated with antimalarial drugs and a combination of supportive treatment means.

Dr. Nghia said that at present, malaria is very rare, so cases are often detected late. Malaria is often confused with dengue fever and other common infections. Therefore, doctors need to carefully exploit epidemiological factors.

At present, malaria should be considered if the patient lives or moves from mountainous areas, mangroves, where malaria is endemic such as Binh Phuoc, the Central Highlands or from countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Africa, etc. If the patient has a fever, the patient should go to medical facilities for medical examination and testing for malaria diagnosis.

Previously, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) had just treated two malaria patients returning home from Angola after many years of not recording any cases.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Duy Cuong, Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases, Bach Mai Hospital, said that in recent years, malaria in Vietnam has been controlled. Due to the availability of anti-malarial drugs for treatment, malaria morbidity and mortality rates have decreased significantly, only in a few provinces in the Central Highlands and the South.

“However, recently we have received many malaria patients returning from Africa, so it is called ‘imported’ malaria. The reason is because of trade and travel a lot, after a period of epidemic, the restoration of flight routes for Vietnamese people to work and work in Africa, especially Angola, to return home has increased. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Duy Cuong said.

Doctors warn, when people have symptoms, people need to go to the doctor because the disease can turn into serious and life-threatening malaria.

Linh Giao

Pregnant women in Hanoi are urgently hospitalized, doctors warn of the risk of malaria ‘imported’ from AfricaBach Mai Hospital is treating two malaria patients returning home from Angola. Doctors warn, when people have symptoms, they need to go to the doctor because the disease can turn into malignant malaria and be life-threatening.