Hand, foot and mouth disease has affected more than 17,400 people in 62 out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide this year, while Vietnam still struggles with measles.

The information was given by the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health.

Hand, foot and mouth disease has affected more than 17,400 people in Vietnam so far this year

According to the department, despite seeing a 20% reduction in the number of new patients compared to last year overall, a number of localities have recorded increases. Among those, HCM City saw 2,700 patients so far this year, up 29% from last, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province had 1,100 cases, up 34%, Ca Mau treated 940 cases, up 15%.

The disease is mainly transmitted through the digestive track, mostly affecting children. It also poses a high risk of becoming an epidemic. In serious cases patients can suffer from complications such as meningitis, pneumonia and heart problems, causing deaths if they do not receive proper treatment in a timely manner.

Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Head of the Preventive Medicine Department, said the Ministry of Health has taken measures to control the disease in affected areas to prevent it from spreading.

He added that Hanoi and HCM City face a higher risk of being hit by the disease. However, the biggest difficulty is that there is no vaccine for the disease.

Vietnam has between 100,000 and 150,000 hand, foot and mouth patients per year, including 30-40 fatalities. The number of patients has been increasing since 2011.