While looking into solutions to eradicate the bizarre and unidentified skin disease plaguing Ba To District in the central province of Quang Ngai, Dr. Babatunde Olowokure, acting head of the World Health Organization in Vietnam, said that it is important that local medical workers focus on bringing about a change in people’s personal habits.

Dr. Olowokure said that so far there has never been any medical record of such a skin disease in any of WHO’s medical journals.

This is a quite a new, bizarre and unknown disease in the world, he said. Hence it will take some time to determine its cause.

WHO will continue to provide assistance to the Ministry of Health for research into finding the cause of the disease, improve people’s nutrition intake, living environment, and closely monitor any fresh cases.

Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Department of Health Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, stressed that the ministry will enhance local medical workers skill as well as supply more equipment to the General Hospital in the province and to the health center in Ba To District.

In addition, the ministry will give support for transferring of serious patients to bigger hospitals. So far, investigation and research seem to point to toxic substances as cause of the disease, however any specific substance has not yet been determined.

Source: SGGP