By: Brandon Ross, President, Cambodia
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The mystery disease that killed roughly 60 kids in Cambodia has been solved by the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease is EV71, known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease along with a combination of other diseases such as dengue and streptococcus suis. While the disease that the children had is now known there is still debate and testing going on as to what made these usually non-fatal diseases kill so quickly. Dr. Beat Richner, the Swiss doctor who first told the Ministry of Health that there was a problem with young children, mostly under 3 years old, dying very quickly after arriving at his hospital, is sure it is due to the improper treatment they received at clinics that lack the skills and resources to deal with even common diseases. The WHO and Ministry of Health says that steroids which can lower the immune system, had been given to all the children who died at local clinics before their parents brought them into the children’s hospital. Dr. Nima Asgari, who works for the WHO said to the Phnom Penh Post; “Our investigation found that steroids had been used… and there have been other studies of the treatment of patients [with EV71] that if you give steroids, those patients die.”
The Phnom Penh Post reports Dr. Richner believes the deaths are to be blamed on the clinics, and has privately sent tests to be done in Australia to check if wrong medication or bad transfusions could be the cause beyond the use of steroids. Dr. Richner points out that “All of the 62 children who died, were treated in private clinics first” before arriving at his hospitals.
So for tourists, this means there is no new risk of disease in Cambodia. The US Embassy pointed out in their email update on the disease, before the cause was even known, that Americans should not worry as vaccinations and good health makes U.S. Citizens far less likely to get the disease or suffer serious effects from diseases than the poor in Cambodia. And while probably obvious, the Embassy added the reminder that good hygiene, including washing hands with soap before each meal, significantly reduces the risk of disease.
Now that there is no new risk to foreigners, and no new disease, the real problem of the lack of quality medical care for the majority of people who can’t afford international standard hospitals is the story, but that is nothing new either.
For the official statement recently released by the World Health Organization, please follow this link:
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_07_09/en/index.html
For the Phnom Penh Post article, click here: