Mysterious fever afflicts 700 students in northern Vietnam, one dies

The Bang Lung Town primary school on Monday reported a fever outbreak at the school, the Cho Don District Department of Education and Training said. Since Monday, the entire district saw around 736 students out of its 10,000 students staying home due to numerous health conditions. Around 698 of them had fevers, while the rest suffered from symptoms like stomachache or leg pain.

The Cho Don District medical center has also received several students and kindergartners with symptoms like coughing and fever, overloading the center's pediatric department capacity. Nong Van Quan, director of the center, said the center has collected samples for testing to figure out the cause.

Seven samples were sent to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi for testing, and five came back positive with the influenza B strain, while the others came back negative. A definite cause has yet to be confirmed.

Schools in the area are operating normally, with classrooms, hallways and yards disinfected.

Influenza B spreads through the respiratory system, and the incubation period is around one to three days. Symptoms include fever, coughing and sore throat. Respiratory failure is possible in severe cases.