Vietnam has detected a large number of encephalitis patients, mainly children, in recent months, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Tuesday.

Hundreds of local people suffering from meningitis, a kind of encephalitis, have been admitted to the Central Pediatrics Hospital and the Clinical Medicine Institute of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi capital over the past two months, the paper quoted a report of the Health Ministry. Some cases have also been reported in the southern region.

On average, the two Hanoi-based facilities received between 5 and 7 meningitis patients every week in the two-month period. Over the past few weeks, the number has increased to 15.

The mortality rate of the disease accounts for about 10 percent in Vietnam, mainly due to late detection. It is difficult to early detect encephalitis because its symptoms of sore throat, fever and lack of appetite are also those of respiratory infections.

Vietnam with population of more than 83 million detected 1.72 cases of encephalitis infections of all kinds per 100,000 residents in 2005, up from 1.45 and 0.73 in 2004 and 2003, respectively, the newspaper said.

Source: Xinhua