A doctor examines a child suffering from measles at the Department of Infectious Diseases of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - TheMinistry of Health (MoH) has added chickenpox, mumps and rubella to the list ofinfectious diseases capable of rapid transmission and potentially fatal.
Under a circular which took effect from September, infectious diseasessubjected to isolation include chicken pox, diphtheria, whooping cough,measles, rubella, anthrax, meningococcal meningitis, mumps and hand, foot andmouth diseases.
The move aims to prevent and limit the spread of the infectious diseases.
According to Tran Dac Phu, head of Preventive Health Department under the MoH, viruses, bacteria,hot and humid climate and poor environmental hygiene are the causes of manydiseases and modes of disease transmission.
“In the past, we could control diseases that occurred in a locality, butnow they can spread to other places within two hours”, he was quoted by Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi) newspaper as saying.
Diseases have hit mountains areas where they have never appeared before, he said, addingthat some common diseases which usually occur in winter or spring have started arising in summer.
Chicken pox is a typical example.
Many adults in Hanoi have been infected withchicken pox this summer even though it's more common in winter and spring amongkids aged between 2 and 8, the newspaper reported.
The Department of Infectious Diseases of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital has recorded many cases of transmissionfrom children who had chicken pox to their mothers.
Phu said the ministry has learned from previous disease prevention andcombat efforts.
Priority has been given to early detection of infections from internationalborder gates and at community and health care centres.
Once a suspicious case is detected, the infectedpeople must be isolated for immediate treatment, he said./.
