Health workers inject vaccines against diphtheria for people in Đăk Rơ Nga Commune, Đăk Tô District, Kon Tum Province after two cases were reported. — Photo zingnews.vn

KON TUM — The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on Monday evening reported three cases of diphtheria, bringing the total number in the province since the beginning of this year to eight.

According to the province’s Health Department, the three latest diphtheria patients include two people aged 11 and 25 in Đắk Tô District and another aged 10 in Sa Thầy District. They are being treated at the districts’ health care centres and are in a stable condition.

The province’s Centre for Diseases Control on Monday took 36 testing samples in Đắk Tô District and 52 in Sa Thầy District.

Vice chairwoman of the province People’s Committee Trần Thị Nga said local authorities isolated people who had close contact with the patients or those suspected to have the disease.

She said local authorities also increased communication and called on people to get fully vaccinated to prevent diseases for themselves and the community.

So far, five out of eight diphtheria cases in the province have tested negative for diphtheria.

By Tuesday, the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông had gone seven days without any new cases of diphtheria after four were reported on Krông Nô District between June 3 and June 8 and eight cases were reported in Đắk G’long District between June 18 and June 22.

Of the 12 reported diphtheria cases in the province, a nine-year-old girl in Quảng Hoà Commune, Đắk G’long District died on June 20. It was reported she was not vaccinated against diphtheria.

Huỳnh Thanh Huynh, director of Đắk G’long District Health Care Centre said that from the evening of June 19, local authorities isolated and tested people in the hamlet where the girl lived and two surrounding hamlets.

More than 800 people that were identified as having contact with the confirmed cases were quarantined in the community, Huynh said.

All of Quảng Hoà Commune was disinfected, Huynh said.

Nguyễn Bá Thuỷ, an official of Quảng Hoà Commune, said quarantined people were given 5kg of rice each per week and other food was provided to those who needed.

Local commune officers and health workers went to every house in the affected areas to examine and give people medicine, which reassured them much after the death of the girl.

Besides Đắk Nông and Kon Tum, HCM City also reported one case of diphtheria last week. — VNS