Death due to streptococcal infection from pigs after eating raw pig blood soup.
A 67-year-old male patient from Phu Tho province, hospitalized with septic shock due to Streptococcus suis infection, has died.
Two days before hospitalization, the patient ate blood pudding at a restaurant near his home. One day, he developed a high fever, headache, vomiting, lethargy, and numerous purplish rashes on his face, earlobes, lower legs, and both thighs. His family took him to Phu Tho General Hospital for emergency treatment, where he was diagnosed with septic shock due to Streptococcus suis infection and was transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (Hanoi) on May 19th.
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According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, from the Emergency Department of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the patient was admitted in critical condition due to septic shock. The patient received intensive emergency care, including antibiotics, vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, and continuous hemodialysis, but the shock did not improve, the necrotic lesions continued to spread, and the prognosis was poor. On May 21st, the family requested to take the patient home.
According to doctors, the disease transmitted from pigs to humans has three forms: septicemia, purulent meningitis, or a combination of both. Depending on the form, the disease can be mild or severe, with some cases being serious from the start. The disease can be fatal if treatment is delayed. The mortality rate is approximately 7%.
The patient died due to bacterial toxins causing shock. Some patients experience septic shock within just 3 days, while others may take up to 10 days to develop severe symptoms, depending on their individual constitution. Those who have previously been infected with Streptococcus suis can still experience a recurrence.
Streptococcal bacteria reside in the respiratory and digestive tracts of pigs. Therefore, to prevent the disease, people need to raise awareness by not slaughtering sick or dead pigs, not handling raw pork with bare hands, especially if they have wounds on their hands. Wash hands thoroughly after processing. Do not eat sick pigs, raw pork, raw blood, or uncooked pig offal, and especially do not eat meat from sick or dead pigs. In any case of contact with sick pigs, whether caring for, raising, slaughtering, or disposing of them, protective equipment should be used. The incubation period is short, ranging from a few hours to 3 days. When the patient develops a high fever (40-41 degrees Celsius), necrotic hemorrhagic patches under the skin, diarrhea, stiff neck, and possibly difficulty breathing, they should go to the hospital early to avoid the risk of death. |
According to VNE
