Hands with legions from m-pox. — AFP/VNA Photo

HCM CITY — Within just one week, HCM City has reported six new cases of m-pox, bringing the total case number of the viral disease to 19.

This figure includes two imported cases from Dubai and one outbound case to Taiwan, China, while the rest are domestically transmitted ones, indicating that the pathogen has been circulating in the community undetected for quite some time.

The southern city is isolating and treating 12 cases of m-pox at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, with all patients in stable condition.

Experts said the public should not be too worried about the spread of m-pox, as it is mostly transmitted among high-risk groups of populations like men who have sex with men, and people with multiple sexual partners or who have unprotected sex.

The city is currently dealing with five types of infectious diseases simultaneously, which are dengue fever, conjunctivitis, m-pox, COVID-19 and hand, foot and mouth disease.

From the beginning of the year until now, the city has recorded a total of 14,126 cases of dengue fever, including an additional 422 cases in the past week, which is a 5.3 per cent increase compared to the four-week average.

Districts with the number of cases exceeding 100,000 people include District 1, District 8 and Bình Thạnh. A total of 200 cases of dengue fever, including 103 adults and 96 children, are under treatment.

The number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases in HCM City from the beginning of the year until now is about 30,000 cases. In the past week alone, the city has recorded 1,532 cases of the disease, which is nearly 1.5 times higher than the four-week average.

Districts with the number of cases exceeding 100,000 people include Bình Tân, Nhà Bè and Bình Chánh. Currently, the city is treating 346 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, including 103 residents in HCM City.

HCM City's health department said they have been proactive in conducting genetic analyses of the viruses causing m-pox and conjunctivitis, and will continue to closely monitor the situation of diseases and respond promptly to all possible situations. — VNS