Da Nang Hospital received a total of 28 cases of Whitmore's disease between October 1 and November 24, with the majority of them coming from Quang Nam, Nghe An, and Quang Ngai.

A patient with Whitmore's disease receives treatment at Da Nang Hospital.

Most notably, the number of Whitmore's patients has reached an alarming level due to the hospital only receiving four cases of Whitmore’s disease during the first nine months of the year.

As a fatal illness, Whitmore's disease, also known as Melioidosis, comes with a wide range of symptoms, including a prolonged fever, a cold, respiratory failure, pneumonia, and skin ulcers.

If those suffering the disease fail to treat it in a right way then the death rate is potentially between 40% and 60%. As a means of properly dealing with patients who have the disease, treatments include taking multiple courses of antibiotics for a six-month period. Currently there is no known vaccine for the disease.

This comes as the nation often endures a spike in cases of the disease during the rainy season that typically lasts from July to November.

As a means of preventing Whitmore's disease, people have been advised to restrict direct contact they have with contaminated water and soil.  People who have open wounds, skin ulcers, and burns have been told to avoid exposing themselves to water and soil which may be potentially contaminated.

Locals have also been encouraged to immediately visit medical centres for health exams and treatment if they display any of these symptoms.