He was admitted to Kim Son General Hospital at 4 p.m. on the same day with severe dehydration and died nearly four hours later, according to the report. Subsequent tests found he had cholera. He was known to have a drinking problem.

This is the first death to be recorded since acute diarrhea cases began to spread in northern and north-central regions early this month.

The Bureau of Preventive Health Tuesday reported some cholera cases in Hung Yen and Vinh Phuc provinces but did not disclose exact numbers.

This increased the number of localities with cholera patients to 13 cities and provinces nationwide. Earlier cases were found in the cities of Hanoi and Hai Phong; and the provinces of Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh and Thai Binh.

The ministry has so far reported 53 cholera cases among the 534 cases of acute diarrhea recorded in these provinces.

Twenty-two patients have been found with the disease since last Saturday, 16 of them from Bac Ninh Province.

The cholera bacteria has been found in several areas in water bodies, raw vegetables and unhygienic cooking, the ministry reported but didn’t name specific locations.

There might be more localities found with cholera, the ministry said.

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology has warned the latest cholera outbreak is of higher toxicity and that the changing weather with high humidity has facilitated outbreaks in many areas.

The bacteria may exist in crustaceans, mollusks and algae as well as in human excrement, the institute reported.

Nguyen Tran Hien, director of the institute, said they had found the bacteria in dog meat but warned that they may appear in any other food that is unhygienic.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection transmitted through water or food contaminated with the bacteria vibrio, causing diarrhea and dehydration that can lead to kidney failure and death if untreated.

In related news, the institute said it has received testing kits for the influenza A (H1N1) virus from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The kits have been used to quickly detect the virus with accurate results obtained between 24-48 hours, but no positive result has been recorded so far, Hien said.

The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday announced a hotline, 1089, to offer free consultancy on the influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. The hotline will remain open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Source: TN, Agencies