No cases of avian influenza H7N9 have been recorded in humans orpoultry in Vietnam, affirmed Deputy Health Minister Nguyen ThanhLong.
At the Epidemic Prevention Steering Board’smeeting in Hanoi on April 23, Long said Vietnam has devisedprecautionary measures to promptly handle any outbreaks, which have todate claimed many lives in China.
The healthservice will continue conducting trans-border medical quarantine,increase observations of serious cases of pneumonia in health centresand in the community, and promptly isolate and treat any suspectedcases.
At the same time, it will urge localities todevise a multi-sector plan to prevent H7N9 and H5N1 bird flu, keep aclose watch on contagions in poultry, thoroughly deal with anyoutbreaks, and enhance awareness campaigns.
TranDac Phu, Deputy Head of the Public Health Ministry’s Preventive MedicineDepartment, said since the beginning of this year, Vietnam hasrecorded two cases of H5N1 in southern Dong Thap and Long An provinces,including one fatality in Dong Thap.
Of 335 respiratory failure cases, 28 people tested positive for H3N2, H1N1 and B viruses, he said.
Phu stressed that Vietnam faces a high risk of a H7N9 outbreak,adding that the new strain of virus found in China easily mutatesinto another strain that is highly adaptable.
Little is known about how H7N9 is transmitted, and there is no vaccine against the virulent virus.
As Vietnam shares a long border with China, it is difficult tocontrol the smuggling of poultry and its products, not to mention thelarge numbers of people that cross the border.
Recently, the ministry sent a public notice to relevant ministries anddepartments in 63 cities and provinces nationwide ordering them tocombat the infectious disease together.
It alsoissued instructions on supervising and preventing the spread of the H7N9virus, checking body temperatures of arrivals at border gates andassigning teams at medical stations to work around the clock.
The ministry has distributed the anti-viral drug Tamiflu tolocalities, and established inter-sector inspection teams to guide thefight against H7N9 in cities and provinces nationwide.-VNA
At the Epidemic Prevention Steering Board’smeeting in Hanoi on April 23, Long said Vietnam has devisedprecautionary measures to promptly handle any outbreaks, which have todate claimed many lives in China.
The healthservice will continue conducting trans-border medical quarantine,increase observations of serious cases of pneumonia in health centresand in the community, and promptly isolate and treat any suspectedcases.
At the same time, it will urge localities todevise a multi-sector plan to prevent H7N9 and H5N1 bird flu, keep aclose watch on contagions in poultry, thoroughly deal with anyoutbreaks, and enhance awareness campaigns.
TranDac Phu, Deputy Head of the Public Health Ministry’s Preventive MedicineDepartment, said since the beginning of this year, Vietnam hasrecorded two cases of H5N1 in southern Dong Thap and Long An provinces,including one fatality in Dong Thap.
Of 335 respiratory failure cases, 28 people tested positive for H3N2, H1N1 and B viruses, he said.
Phu stressed that Vietnam faces a high risk of a H7N9 outbreak,adding that the new strain of virus found in China easily mutatesinto another strain that is highly adaptable.
Little is known about how H7N9 is transmitted, and there is no vaccine against the virulent virus.
As Vietnam shares a long border with China, it is difficult tocontrol the smuggling of poultry and its products, not to mention thelarge numbers of people that cross the border.
Recently, the ministry sent a public notice to relevant ministries anddepartments in 63 cities and provinces nationwide ordering them tocombat the infectious disease together.
It alsoissued instructions on supervising and preventing the spread of the H7N9virus, checking body temperatures of arrivals at border gates andassigning teams at medical stations to work around the clock.
The ministry has distributed the anti-viral drug Tamiflu tolocalities, and established inter-sector inspection teams to guide thefight against H7N9 in cities and provinces nationwide.-VNA
