At the working session with the Ministry of Health's working delegation, Mr. Nguyen Vu Thuong - Deputy Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City said that from the beginning of 2026 to now, hand, foot and mouth disease in southern provinces and cities has increased sharply compared to the same period in 2025. By week 12, the area recorded 17,078 cases, an increase of 1.9 times compared to the same period last year. Localities with high cases include Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Can Tho, Dong Thap...
Notably, the Southern region recorded 8 deaths, including 4 cases in Ho Chi Minh City and each locality An Giang, Can Tho, Dong Nai, Dong Thap recorded 1 case. Compared to the same period in 2025 and the average of the last 5 years, the number of cases in 2026 tends to increase, especially in densely populated areas.
According to Mr. Nguyen Vu Thuong, 2026 recorded the return of the EV71 virus strain, accounting for 56% of the total positive test samples. This is a virus strain with a 3 times higher risk of serious complications than other strains. In addition, 2026 is also in the increasing cycle of hand, foot and mouth disease (3-year cycle), causing the number of cases to continue to increase in the coming time.
In fact, severe cases of grade 3 and grade 4 have appeared in many localities, while in 2025 the number of severe cases was not large because the appearance of EV71 strain was not recorded. In the southern region, Ho Chi Minh City is the locality with the highest number of cases.
According to Dr. Le Hong Nga - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, from the beginning of the year to now, the city has recorded more than 8,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, of which 1, 992 cases have been hospitalized for inpatient treatment. Compared to the same period in 2025, the number of cases increased by 209% and increased by 353% compared to the average of the last 5 years.
The city has recorded 332 hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks, including 181 outbreaks in schools. Ho Chi Minh City also recorded 4 deaths, mainly in the Ba Ria - Vung Tau area (formerly).
According to Dr. Le Hong Nga, the number of cases is increasing in all 3 areas of the city, of which the central area is increasing fastest due to high population density. The rate of disease samples positive for EV71 strain has also increased, accounting for about 1/3 of the total samples.
In Dong Nai, a report from Dong Nai Children's Hospital shows that from the beginning of the year to date, 2,223 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease have been recorded. Due to the aftermath of the epidemic in 2025 extending to the beginning of 2026, the number of cases is still maintained at a high level. From the beginning of March 2026 alone, the number of cases continued to increase, of which 74% are children under 3 years old.
Notably, this year there have been many cases of severe illnesses of grade 3 and grade 4 requiring oxygen or blood filtration. In the first 3 months of the year, Dong Nai recorded one death, a 23-month-old baby boy, after being transferred from Dong Nai Children's Hospital to the City Children's Hospital but did not survive due to heart shock and myocarditis.
Reports from end-line hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City such as Children's Hospital 1, Children's Hospital 2 and Children's Hospital of the City also show that the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases coming for examination and treatment is continuously increasing compared to the same period in 2025. Doctors recorded many severe cases and deaths, mainly due to late hospitalization of children, when transferred to higher levels, serious complications such as myocarditis and cerebral edema appeared.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong - Deputy Minister of Health assessed that the risk of hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the South is very high, especially due to the return of the EV71 strain.
To proactively prevent and control epidemics, the Deputy Minister of Health requested localities to strengthen surveillance, early detection and timely handling of outbreaks. Hospitals need to strictly comply with the treatment regimen of the Ministry of Health, and at the same time prepare sufficient medicines and medical supplies to respond to the increasing number of cases. In addition, the work of receiving, treating and isolating patients needs to be strictly implemented to limit cross-infection in hospitals.
