Medical workers take samples for testing and instruct officers and soldiers of Division 3 to prevent and control meningococcal meningitis. — Photo courtesy of the Military Region 1

HÀ NỘI — Service man Nguyễn Văn Nghiệp died of acute meningococcal septic shock on February 10, according to an announcement released by the Ministry of National Defence on February 13.

Nghiệp is a weapons soldier of the Battalion 4, Regiment 12, Division 3, Military Region 1 (which is in charge of the six northern provinces -- Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Bắc Giang, Bắc Kạn, Bắc Ninh, and Thái Nguyên).

Immediately after his death, the Military Institute for Preventive Medicine (MIPM) conducted PCR testing on officers and soldiers of the Regiment 12, Division 3, which is based in Thái Nguyên Province.

Seven samples were tested positive for meningococcal bacteria. They had had direct contact with service man Nghiệp.

The MIPM also quarantined and monitored the seven soldiers above and actively coordinated with Division 3 as well as other concerned forces to synchronously deploy epidemic prevention and control.

Previously, at around 8am on February 9, serviceman Nghiệp reported to his commander that he was suffering from fever, nausea and abdominal pain.

Nghiệp was examined by the unit's medical ward, given antipyretics, antibiotics, and stayed under their supervision.

However, his health condition did not improve, so the unit transferred him to Military Hospital 110, then to the Central Military Hospital 108 in Hà Nội for treatment.

Here, doctors and nurses actively treated him, but serviceman Nghiệp did not survive.

Through further tests, the Central Military Hospital 108 determined that Nghiệp had circulatory arrest outside the hospital due to septic shock caused by fulminant meningococcal disease.

"The correct diagnosis is that the patient has septic fever and multiple organ failure due to meningococcus. This is a very severe form of the disease caused by meningococcus bacteria. People often call it the lightning strike form,” said Colonel Vũ Viết Sáng, Deputy Director of the Institute of Clinical Infectious Diseases under the Central Military Hospital 108.

“The patient's condition is very acute, from 8am until arriving at the hospital about 11-12 hours, that is, in less than 24 hours. He had all the symptoms of bacterial shock and multiple organ failure, including systemic bleeding, which is very typical of hemorrhagic disease due to meningococcus. This disease often appears in young people," said Sáng.

After Nghiệp died, to ensure fairness, law enforcement agencies requested a forensic examination to clarify his cause of death in the presence of his family, and carried out procedures according to the laws.

The Military Region 1 Command assigned a working delegation to directly meet Nghiệp’s family and local authorities to inform them about the incident, encourage and assist the grieving family, and organised the funeral for serviceman Nghiệp based on regulations. — VNS