Proactively prevent MERS-CoV

(Baonghean) - Along with Vinh City, Ky Son district is currently one of the two key areas that need to promote the prevention and control of MERS-CoV in Nghe An. The district has Nam Can International Border Gate connecting with Laos, where many people from both countries and international tourists travel (not to mention many other small-scale routes). Facing the risk that MERS-CoV can enter the area at any time, Ky Son district has prepared response measures by establishing a Steering Committee, developing an Action Plan to prevent and control the disease causing MERS-CoV syndrome in the area and organizing its implementation.

Doctor Luong Van Son, Deputy Director of Ky Son District Medical Center, said: Under the direction of the industry and district, along with preparing medicine and equipment for epidemic prevention, we are conducting training to improve disease monitoring and prevention skills for medical staff at lower levels; Instructing health stations to advise the People's Committees of 21 communes and towns to establish commune steering committees, along with propaganda work to help people understand the disease... With the characteristics of a large area, people living scattered, life still having many difficulties, often going back and forth across the border to visit relatives, approaching and propagating to people about the disease is extremely difficult.

The Department of Health's working group inspected epidemic prevention and control at Nam Can International Border Gate (Ky Son).

According to the pre-assigned plan, Ky Son General Hospital is the place to receive, admit and treat MERS-CoV patients (if any) from Nam Can International Border Gate and in the area. Up to this point, preparations to receive patients have been made. Doctor Moong Thi Tham - Deputy Director of Ky Son District General Hospital said: The hospital has arranged a special isolation area to admit patients for treatment. In the patient room, the ventilator and ultrasound systems are also well prepared, ready to be dispatched and used when there are patients. The hospital also established an in-house emergency team and a mobile emergency team ready to coordinate with the Medical Center and the international quarantine team when suspected patients appear.

In Vinh City, where there is an international airport, near Cua Lo Port, with a large number of people passing through, the prevention and control of MERS-CoV epidemic is more important than ever. Along with the establishment of a rapid response team and the preparation of adequate medical supplies for epidemic prevention, Vinh City Medical Center recently organized a training course on prevention and control of Mers-CoV syndrome infection with the participation of 80 trainees who are medical center staff, station heads, and specialized staff in charge of epidemic prevention at 25 medical stations in the area. Doctor Ho Huu Da, Director of Vinh City Medical Center, said: Trainees are equipped with basic knowledge such as: Symptoms of Mers-CoV; Instructions on how to monitor and prevent Mers-CoV epidemic.

Checking ventilators used for Mers-Cov prevention and control at Ky Son District General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son

At the training session, the Medical Center also deployed hypothetical situations according to the plan of the Provincial People's Committee to practice handling, which are: When no cases have been recorded in Vietnam; a confirmed case has entered Vietnam and the situation of the epidemic spreading in the community... Through the training session, the Medical Center also directed the medical stations to advise the wards and communes to use the FM radio system to increase propaganda for people to understand MERS-CoV, implement appropriate behaviors to prevent and fight MERS-CoV according to the guidance documents of the Ministry of Health; People should not be subjective about the epidemic nor be too worried.

Thanks to good propaganda and consultation work, people's awareness has been raised. Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, Ha Huy Tap ward (Vinh city), has 2 sons working in Korea, said: Every day, the family regularly monitors the epidemic situation in Korea through information channels and knows about prevention and control measures to call and instruct on disease prevention and control measures such as maintaining personal hygiene, rinsing mouth with antiseptic water, avoiding contact with people with respiratory infections, and avoiding contact with animals.

Nghe An is a province with a large number of people studying and working in countries with MERS-CoV epidemics, so the risk of disease transmission cannot be ruled out when these people return to their localities. Implementing the province's MERS-CoV prevention plan, many wards and communes in the area have compiled a list of families with relatives living, studying and working in countries with the epidemic to have a plan to approach, advise and propagate disease prevention and control measures. The health sector actively coordinates with mass media agencies to propagate and raise awareness of the epidemic among people in order to strengthen disease surveillance and detection in the community.

Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Health, the Provincial People's Committee, the Nghe An Health sector has been directing units to deploy training, guidance on monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of MERS-CoV issued by the Ministry of Health. Doctor Nguyen Xuan Hong, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said: The sector requires medical examination and treatment facilities to strengthen labor emergency teams, prepare drugs, chemicals, equipment, and plans for patient admission and treatment; district health centers to strengthen epidemic prevention and control teams, prepare drugs, supplies, chemicals and epidemic prevention plans, strengthen monitoring, prevention and control of epidemics in the community... With a high spirit of proactive epidemic prevention and control, the Nghe An Health sector is currently implementing a 24/7 MERS-CoV epidemic prevention and control regime.

Nghe An is currently actively preventing and fighting the MERS-CoV epidemic according to the plan of the Provincial People's Committee in scenario 1 "No cases recorded in Vietnam". Departments, branches, armed forces and localities are all prepared and implementing prevention and control work according to this scenario as well as ready to deploy measures to minimize the impact of the epidemic on people's lives in bad situations such as cases entering Vietnam, cases entering Nghe An province and the epidemic breaking out in the community.

Thanh Son