"The risk of disease outbreaks in the summer is very high"

On May 29, at a briefing on the epidemic situation for press agencies in the southern region held in Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) Truong Dinh Bac stated that the epidemic could still develop complicatedly and unpredictably during the summer months. Therefore, if preventive measures are not implemented well, the risk of an outbreak is very high.

Medical staff spray chemicals to kill mosquito larvae - the agent that causes dengue fever. Photo: VNA

According to statistics from the Department of Preventive Medicine, from the beginning of 2014 to now, the country has recorded 4,857 confirmed cases of measles out of 24,648 cases of suspected measles rash fever in 63 provinces and cities. Most of the measles cases are children under 10 years old.

As of May 27, the measles vaccination rate for children from 9 months to 2 years old nationwide reached 96.1%, of which 49 provinces and cities reached 95% or more, 12 provinces and cities reached 90-95%. The two provinces and cities with the lowest measles vaccination rate in the country are Cao Bang and Tay Ninh.

In addition, in May, 9/11 high-risk provinces and cities implemented additional measles vaccination for children aged 2-10. Hanoi alone completed this campaign with a vaccination rate of 97.9%.

The Ministry of Health recommends that although the number of confirmed measles cases in localities has slowed down and begun to decrease, localities still need to closely monitor and supervise, because there are still children who have not received two doses of measles vaccine, especially children in remote areas.

In August this year, the Ministry of Health will conduct a measles and rubella vaccination campaign for children aged 1-14.

In addition, localities must still closely monitor to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue fever; prevent diseases from entering Vietnam, especially Middle East respiratory disease (Mers-CoV), influenza A, wild polio virus...

In Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces and cities, the situation of hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever is complicated. Since the beginning of 2014, the country has recorded 24,730 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in 62 provinces and cities, including 2 deaths in Long An and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. Some provinces in the southern region account for 78.5% of the cases nationwide. The virus type in the south is mainly EV71 (accounting for 59.2%).

Because there is no specific treatment or vaccine for the disease, for now, preventive measures such as frequent hand washing, personal hygiene, diet, etc. are considered the most effective.

In addition, the provinces and cities in this region are also entering the rainy season, so the Ministry of Health reminds people to keep the environment clean to avoid dengue fever outbreaks.

To proactively respond and be ready to receive and treat patients, the Ministry of Health has developed a plan to strengthen the treatment and prevention of measles, hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue fever and some emerging diseases in 2014, with the goal of minimizing deaths, reducing morbidity, complications and overload at end-line hospitals.

The medical force focuses on reviewing and preparing facilities, medicines, equipment, supplies, and human resources to meet treatment needs; controlling infections at medical examination and treatment facilities; and updating and standardizing guidelines and treatments for measles, hand, foot, and mouth disease, dengue fever, influenza A, Mers-CoV, and other emerging dangerous diseases.

The Ministry of Health also assigned a number of upper-level hospitals the task of training, coaching, and providing technical support to provinces on the prevention of measles, hand, foot, and mouth disease, and dengue fever.

According to Vietnam+