Action plan to prevent MERS-CoV epidemic in Nghe An
Pursuant to Official Dispatch No. 790/CD-TTg dated June 3, 2015 of the Prime Minister on prevention and control of the disease causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome caused by Corona virus (MERS-CoV); Official Dispatch No. 3274/CD-13YT dated May 20, 2015 of the Ministry of Health on strengthening the prevention and control of infection of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome caused by Corona virus (MERS-CoV); to proactively deploy measures to prevent and control the disease, the Provincial People's Committee has developed an Action Plan for prevention and control of the disease causing MERS-CoV in Nghe An province with the following contents:
I. MERS-CoV EPIDEMIC SITUATION IN THE WORLD AND IN VIETNAM
1. In the world
Middle East respiratory syndrome is a group A infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus (abbreviated as MBRS-CoV). The first case was recorded in April 2012 in Saudi Arabia. According to the announcement of the World Health Organization, by June 7, 2015, there were 1,209 cases, including 448 deaths in 26 countries: Middle East: 9 countries, America, Europe: 12 countries, Asia: 4 countries including Korea, China, Philippines, Malaysia, in Korea alone there were 64 cases, with 5 deaths.
2.In Vietnam
Through the surveillance reporting system up to June 8, 2015, our country has not recorded any cases of MRRS-CoV.
3. Comments and forecasts
Based on the current situation and epidemiological characteristics of the disease, the risk of the epidemic can penetrate Vietnam in general and Nghe An province in particular. The epidemic has the potential to become a large-scale epidemic in the community, if preventive measures are not proactively implemented now due to:
-MERS-CoV is transmitted from person to person through close contact, especially with many recorded cases of medical staff directly caring for patients.
-The disease has spread from some Middle Eastern countries to other countries. Cases of the disease from Asia and America all have a history of travel to Middle Eastern countries.
-The infection and death rates are increasing day by day in Korea.
-The risk of the disease entering our country is through tourists, workers returning from Middle Eastern countries and Korea or passengers entering the country who have stayed or passed through countries with epidemics.
-There is currently no vaccine to prevent the disease, no specific treatment, current disease prevention measures mainly rely on personal hygiene and preventing transmission in the community.
II. BASIS FOR PLANNING
- Telegram No. 790/CD-TTg dated June 3, 2015 of the Prime Minister on prevention and control of the disease causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV);
- Telegram No. 3274/CD-BYT dated May 20, 2015 of the Ministry of Health on strengthening the prevention of infection of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
III. OBJECTIVES
1. General information
Prepare plans to promptly respond to epidemic prevention situations; Early detection of MERS-CoV infection cases, timely handling to prevent the spread of the epidemic, minimizing deaths.
2. Specific goals (according to the epidemic situation)
2.1.Scenario 1: No cases recorded in Vietnam
Implement surveillance to promptly detect the first cases of MERS-CoV entering Nghe An or appearing in the community to thoroughly handle and prevent spreading to the community. Prepare resources to monitor and detect suspected cases.
2.2.Scenario 2: There is a confirmed case entering Vietnam, but no case has entered Nghe An.
Strengthen surveillance to detect early cases in the province to thoroughly handle and prevent spreading to the community. Mobilize the entire political system to prevent the disease from entering and spreading in the province.
2.3.Scenario 3: The epidemic spreads widely in Vietnam and there are cases entering Nghe An province.
Respond quickly, localize, and promptly and thoroughly handle outbreaks to minimize deaths and spread of the disease in the community.
2.4.Scenario 4: The epidemic breaks out in the community
Minimize the impact of the epidemic on people's lives.
IV. MAIN ACTIVITIES
1.Scenario 1: No cases have been recorded in Vietnam.
a) Department of Health:
- Advise the Provincial People's Committee to strengthen the Steering Committee for human disease prevention and control; issue documents directing the implementation of activities in districts, cities and towns.
- Organize inspection and supervision teams, guide localities and units to be ready to receive, treat and handle outbreaks.
- Direct units in the industry to closely monitor the community and medical facilities to promptly detect suspected cases of MERS-CoV.
- Organize training on monitoring, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of MERS-CoV in medical facilities.
-Prepare personal protective equipment for medical staff and patients' families.
-Regularly assess risks to propose appropriate response measures.
- Direct preventive medical units to prepare supplies, chemicals, equipment, and means; promptly deploy prevention and control measures when an epidemic occurs; strengthen mobile anti-epidemic teams, ready to support localities in investigating and handling outbreaks.
- Direct medical examination and treatment facilities to: prepare medicines, medical equipment, protective equipment for medical staff, isolation areas, hospital beds; be ready to organize well the admission, isolation and treatment of patients; strengthen mobile emergency teams, be ready to support localities in emergency and treatment of patients when requested.
b) Departments and Branches:
-Department of Transport:Develop a plan to prevent MERS - CoV in the Transport sector, have a plan to maintain passenger, cargo and patient transportation services in emergency cases; isolate cases of illness on passenger transport vehicles, have a plan to prevent illness for passengers and staff when there are cases of illness on passenger transport vehicles.
-Department of Education and Training:Develop a plan to prevent and control MERS-CoV in the industry, have plans to close schools when necessary to limit the spread of the disease; coordinate with the health sector to propagate disease prevention among students and the people.
- Armed forces (Provincial Military Command, Provincial Border Guard Command, Provincial Police):
Direct the Military-Civilian Medical and Health Departments of the sector to develop disease prevention plans for armed forces, vehicles, medicines, equipment, and hospital beds at hospitals and clinics of the sector under their management to prevent and control the disease; coordinate with the health sector to strengthen border medical quarantine activities, especially at border gates, Vinh airport and border areas adjacent to Laos.
- Departments, Boards, Sectors, and other short-term organizations: Depending on their assigned functions and tasks, coordinate with the Department of Health (the standing agency for human disease prevention) to develop plans for MERS-CoV prevention and control of units in accordance with the stages of the epidemic, ensuring the maintenance of activities of the management sector; coordinate with the health sector to effectively disseminate epidemic prevention measures.
c) People's Committees of districts, towns and Vinh city:
Establish a District Steering Committee; direct communes, wards and towns to establish Commune Steering Committees; Develop an Action Plan to prevent and control MERS-CoV epidemics in the area and organize implementation.
2.Scenario 2: Cases of the disease have entered Vietnam, but there are nocases entering Nghe An
a) Department of Health:
- Advise the Provincial People's Committee to establish provincial working groups to direct and inspect localities and units.
-Advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue documents directing the implementation of epidemic prevention and control activities.
- Direct medical units to strengthen surveillance of suspected MERS-CoV cases with related epidemiological factors; monitor and track the health status of people in close contact with the patient within 14 days from the last contact; monitor and collect samples for testing of suspected MERS-CoV cases in hospitals and the community to promptly identify the first cases.
- Directing the regular work of epidemic prevention and control at medical units; mobile epidemic prevention teams are ready to support localities when requested.
- Direct medical examination and treatment facilities to organize emergency response, ready to admit and treat patients; mobile emergency teams are ready to support localities in providing emergency care and treatment of patients when requested.
- Direct medical units to review preparations for epidemic prevention and control, and supplement missing content compared to needs.
b) Departments and Branches:
-Department of Transport:Maintain reasonable passenger and cargo transportation services, ensure prevention of infections from other provinces entering Nghe An; ensure disease prevention for passengers and staff when there are cases of patients on passenger transport vehicles.
-Department of Education and Training:Direct the school health system to coordinate with local health units to strengthen monitoring and early detection of suspected cases; continue to coordinate with the health sector to propagate disease prevention among students and the people.
- Armed forces (Provincial Military Command, Provincial Border Guard Command, Provincial Police):
Direct the Military-Civilian Medical Board and the Health Department of the sector to strengthen monitoring and early detection of suspected cases, cases of contact with sick people or returning from epidemic areas in the armed forces; review the preparation of vehicles, medicines, equipment, and hospital beds at hospitals and clinics under their management to prevent the epidemic; continue to coordinate with the health sector to strengthen medical quarantine activities at borders, airports, and border gates.
-Departments, Boards, Branches, other mass organizations:Depending on the assigned functions and tasks, coordinate with the Department of Health (the standing agency for human disease prevention) to deploy the MERS-CoV epidemic prevention and control plans of the units in accordance with the epidemic stage, ensuring the maintenance of the management sector's activities; continue to coordinate with the health sector to effectively propagate epidemic prevention measures.
c) People's Committees of districts, towns and Vinh city:
Direct the Departments, Branches, and organizations under their authority to coordinate with local health units to deploy epidemic prevention and control activities corresponding to phase 2 of the epidemic.
3.Scenario 3: The epidemic spreads widely in Vietnam and there are cases entering Nghe An province.
a) Department of Health:
- Direct medical units to organize the containment of the epidemic, implement measures to control and handle the epidemic, restrict travel when necessary, and apply widespread and mandatory disease prevention measures to all people in the epidemic area.
-Organize inspection teams for epidemic prevention work in localities.
- Assess the epidemic situation and advise the Provincial People's Committee to declare the epidemic according to the provisions of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.
- Direct units to continue to deploy surveillance to detect cases early, strengthen surveillance of clusters of cases in the community, promote surveillance based on information from official and unofficial sources to promptly verify, organize investigations to detect outbreaks, localize and promptly handle outbreaks in the community; conduct sample testing to determine the circulation, changes, and spread of MERS-CoV.
-Regularly evaluate and learn from experience in monitoring, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of outbreaks to promptly adjust instructions and directions in accordance with the characteristics of the epidemic.
-Organize a permanent epidemic prevention and control team at the Department of Health and medical units; mobile epidemic prevention teams support localities in handling outbreaks.
- Direct medical examination and treatment facilities to organize emergency services, expand patient admission and treatment; strictly implement isolation for group A diseases, control infections, prevent cross-infection at hospitals according to regulations, concentrate maximum resources and technical expertise to treat patients to limit deaths; mobile emergency teams are ready to support localities when requested; be ready to set up field hospitals when necessary.
- Direct medical units to fully implement protective measures for medical staff directly involved in examination, treatment, patient care, monitoring, and investigation to prevent infection to medical staff.
- Regularly update, evaluate and learn from experience in diagnosis, treatment and care to promptly adjust instructions and directions in accordance with disease characteristics.
-Apply daily reporting and timely information sharing.
b) Departments and Branches:
-Department of Transport:Maintain reasonable passenger and cargo transportation services, ensuring that they contribute to preventing the spread of disease; ensure disease prevention for passengers and staff when patients appear on passenger transport vehicles; coordinate with the health sector to disinfect and sterilize vehicles when necessary.
-Department of Education and Training:Direct the education system to coordinate with the health sector to strengthen monitoring and early detection of suspected cases; close some schools if necessary; mobilize students to conduct general cleaning, disinfection and sterilization in schools.
- Armed forces (Provincial Military Command, Provincial Border Guard Command, Provincial Police):
Direct the Military-Civilian Medical and Health Department of the sector to coordinate with units under the Department of Health to deploy activities to handle outbreaks, admit and treat patients; monitor and promptly detect suspected cases, cases of contact with sick people or those returning from epidemic areas in the armed forces and in the community.
-Departments, Boards, Branches, other mass organizations:Depending on assigned functions and tasks, coordinate with the Department of Health to deploy activities to prevent and control MERS-CoV and ensure the maintenance of activities of the management sector; continue to coordinate with the health sector to effectively propagate epidemic prevention measures.
c) People's Committees of districts, towns and Vinh city:
Direct the drastic implementation of disease prevention and control measures in the area; Disease prevention and control steering committees at all levels hold daily meetings to unify the implementation of activities in the locality.
4. Scenario 4: Outbreak in the community
a) Department of Health:
- Direct medical units to coordinate with the provincial armed forces to organize zoning of epidemic areas, implement measures to restrict travel, and apply widespread and mandatory disease prevention measures to all people in the epidemic area.
- Report daily on the development of the epidemic and advise the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committee on epidemic prevention measures for timely direction.
-Organize regular epidemic prevention and control at medical units; send mobile epidemic prevention teams and mobile emergency teams to support localities in handling outbreaks.
- Set up field hospitals in areas with a high number of patients to avoid hospital overload. Expand patient admission and classify patients for treatment at different levels: for mild cases, monitor and treat at the Commune Health Station, limit patient movement.
-Regularly evaluate and gain experience in monitoring, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of outbreaks to promptly adjust to the characteristics of the epidemic.
-Regularly update information, communication messages, and disease prevention recommendations appropriate to high-risk groups.
-Synthesize funding, material, chemical and vehicle needs from units under the Department of Health and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for additional allocation.
-Organize inspection teams to monitor and guide MERS-CoV prevention.
b) Departments and Branches:
-Department of Transport:Restrict the transport of passengers and vehicles entering epidemic areas, consider temporarily suspending some routes according to epidemic prevention requirements; ensure disease prevention for passengers and staff during transportation; coordinate with the health sector to regularly disinfect and sterilize vehicles.
-Department of Education and Training:Direct the education system to close schools in epidemic areas; continue to coordinate with the health sector to strengthen monitoring, early detection of suspected cases for timely isolation and treatment in accordance with regulations.
- Armed forces (Provincial Military Command, Provincial Border Guard Command, Provincial Police):
Direct subordinate units to coordinate with the health sector to deploy measures to control, isolate, and handle outbreaks, apply mandatory epidemic prevention measures in the community; continue to receive, treat, monitor, and promptly detect suspected cases, cases in contact with sick people or those returning from epidemic areas in the armed forces and in the community.
- Departments, Boards, Branches, other mass organizations:Direct subordinate units to mobilize cadres, civil servants, and union members to actively coordinate with the Department of Health to deploy epidemic prevention and control activities; implement mandatory disease prevention measures at a number of units in epidemic areas; continue to coordinate with the health sector to effectively propagate epidemic prevention measures.
c) People's Committees of districts, towns and Vinh city:
Mobilize the entire political system to participate in disease prevention and control work in the locality; direct the implementation of mandatory disease prevention measures to limit the spread of disease; Steering Committees for disease prevention and control at all levels hold daily meetings to unify the implementation of activities in the locality.
V. GENERAL SOLUTIONS
1. About organization and direction
Strengthen the role of the Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control at all levels, direct disease prevention activities according to the guidance of the Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health. Organize inspections, direct and supervise the implementation of disease prevention and control work in the locality.
2. Develop plans and financial investments
Proactively develop Action Plans at all levels, Departments, Boards, Sectors, and organizations; prepare medicines, supplies, chemicals, and equipment to fight the epidemic, implement the 4-on-the-spot motto; based on the epidemic situation, synthesize needs and request additional supplies.
3. Technical expertise
Strengthen the capacity to monitor the MERS-CoV epidemic, ensure sufficient biological products for sampling and ensure biosafety in sampling, preservation and transportation of test samples for definitive diagnosis; early detection of the first cases of the disease to have timely isolation, admission and treatment measures; strictly implement the triage of medical examination, isolation and treatment, thoroughly implement personal protection work, prevent infection and cross-infection in hospitals; update the Ministry of Health's guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of MERS-CoV.
4. Communication and health education
Regularly provide information on the epidemic situation and epidemic prevention measures to people so that they do not panic and proactively apply measures to protect themselves, their families and the community; mobilize departments, branches, sectors and organizations to participate in propaganda work on epidemic prevention and control.
5. Inter-sectoral coordination
Closely coordinate with relevant departments, sectors and branches in implementing epidemic prevention measures in accordance with the functions and tasks of each sector; mobilize the participation of political and socio-political organizations (women, youth, Farmers' Association, Red Cross) in mobilizing people to implement measures to prevent and control MERS-CoV.
VI. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION
1. Provincial Steering Committee for Human Disease Prevention and Control:
Organize meetings to unify direction on epidemic prevention and control depending on each specific epidemic situation (weekly, daily or ad hoc meetings); report on the epidemic's developments and advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue documents directing timely epidemic prevention and control measures. In case the epidemic spreads (situation 4), the Steering Committee advises the Provincial People's Committee to direct Departments, Committees and Branches to support production units and establishments, provide essential services to people, and avoid disrupting socio-economic activities.
2. Department of Health:
- The Department of Health is the standing agency responsible for coordinating with central-level professional agencies and related Departments, Boards, Sectors, and organizations, directing units under its authority to implement plans according to each epidemic situation.
- Direct the Center for Health Education and Communication to coordinate with the Provincial Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper and related units to strengthen communication work on measures to prevent and control MERS-CoV epidemic suitable to each epidemic situation: increase communication time, diversify communication types, focus on disease prevention and orienting public opinion, avoiding panic and fear in the community.
3. Department of Information and Communications, Provincial Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper:
Coordinate with the Department of Health to promote propaganda activities to provide information on epidemic prevention and control measures and orient public opinion in accordance with each epidemic situation; regularly update information, revise communication messages, and recommend epidemic prevention and control suitable for high-risk groups, ensuring that people do not panic and take good disease prevention measures.
4. Department of Finance:
Based on the budget estimate for implementing the plan developed by the Department of Health and the local budget balance capacity, advise the Provincial People's Committee to review and approve the implementation budget; In case an epidemic occurs and spreads, it is necessary to have a plan to balance the budget and provide additional funds to promptly meet the needs of epidemic prevention.
5. Departments, Boards, Branches, Armed Forces and other organizations:
Coordinate with the Department of Health to effectively implement assigned tasks according to each epidemic situation and manage and direct subordinates to coordinate implementation.
6. People's Committees of districts, towns and Vinh city:
Coordinate with the Department of Health and related Departments, Boards and Branches, direct affiliated agencies and units to effectively implement the plan content according to each epidemic situation.
VII. IMPLEMENTATION COSTS
Assign the Department of Health to develop a budget estimate (in writing) and send it to the Department of Finance for consultation and submission to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and decision.
Above is the Action Plan for the prevention and control of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Nghe An province. This plan will be updated and adjusted regularly and promptly to suit the developments of the epidemic situation as well as the implementation of epidemic prevention and control work in practice. The Provincial People's Committee requests the Departments, Boards, Branches, Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts/cities/towns and Heads of relevant units to base on the plan to effectively implement the prevention and control of the epidemic causing MERS-CoV.
TM.UBND
KT. Chairman
Vice president
Dinh Thi Le Thanh