Two members of the same family are treated for carrying the neisseria meningitidis virus, while two others have already died. Photo nhandan.vn

BẮC KẠN — Two people from the same family in the northern mountainous province of Bắc Kạn died of neisseria meningitidis virus, the provincial Department of Health has announced.

According to the department, a girl, born in 2022, died on June 5, followed by her grandmother on June 9. Both are from the same family living in Ba Bể District.

Two further family members showed symptoms of tiredness, headaches and diarrhoea and are undergoing treatment in hospital.

Trần Văn Tuyến, the department’s deputy director, said a test sample from the patients sent to the National Tropical Disease centre on Wednesday showed one infected with neisseria meningitidis virus.

Meningococcal disease is an infectious disease transmitted through the respiratory tract, which can develop into an epidemic and cause death if not detected early and treated promptly.

The local Department of Health ordered the provincial Centre for Disease Control to strengthen supervision on the meningococcal outbreak in Ba Bể District, while monitoring the outbreak’s developments to control it spreading.

It ordered healthcare professionals to make sure they have adequate equipment, chemicals, supplies and vaccines against meningococcal disease.

The Bắc Kạn Provincial General Hospital has been asked to prepare facilities and areas for quarantine, specialised equipment, and drugs ready for timely treatment and emergency care for any further cases. — VNS