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Mystery illness hits hospital
14/03/2003 10:51 - (SA)
Hanoi - Four staff at a private hospital in the Vietnamese capital, including one French doctor, are in a critical condition after contracting a mysterious form of pneumonia, health officials said on Friday.
Thirty employees of the Hanoi French Hospital have been struck down by what the World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling "atypical pneumonia".
Two of the victims are French nationals and the rest are Vietnamese.
"Three Vietnamese and one Frenchman are seriously ill and the condition of the others is changing hour by hour," said Lucien Blanchard, the hospital's general manager.
"We are trying to control the situation, but we do not know how it will evolve. We haven't found the cause of the outbreak yet."
The WHO said on Wednesday the illness appeared to begin on February 26 when a 48-year-old American businessman was taken sick in Hanoi with flu-like symptoms after a trip to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
He was flown back to Hong Kong for treatment on March 6, but died on Thursday at the territory's Princess Margaret Hospital.
At least 38 medical workers in Hong Kong have subsequently contracted the illness, according to the territory's hospital authority.
Hospital 'in quarantine'
WHO officials say they have not yet found a definitive link between the cases in Hanoi and Hong Kong, but on Wednesday it issued a global alert about a severe form of pneumonia.
A WHO investigation team, including experts from the United States Centres for Disease Control, is due to arrive in Hanoi later on Friday.
"We are conducting a thorough investigation into the outbreak of this atypical pneumonia and we hope to have a better idea later today as to its cause," said Pascale Brudon, head of WHO's operations in Vietnam.
The Hanoi French Hospital shut its doors to the general public on Tuesday to look after the victims.
"Our staff are very tired and we are short of doctors, nurses and cleaning personnel. We don't know how much longer we can keep going like this.
"We are also concerned about whether we can financially keep running because we are incurring lots of expenses and receiving no revenue. We are seeking assistance from the French and Vietnamese governments and the WHO."
- AFX
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