The Preventive Medicine Department under the Health Ministry on September 26 asked relevant agencies and departments to closely monitor the development of pink-eye disease (conjunctivitis) that has been spreading rapidly in many localities in Vietnam in recent days.

Accordingly, the Pasteur Institute and municipal and provincial health departments were asked to tighten their inspection on disease hotbeds, especially in kindergartens and schools.

Attention should be paid to educational activities, particularly keeping personal hygiene, in order to prevent the disease from spreading out, the department said.

Local health departments were urged to stand ready to provide medicines, facilities and timely assistance to localities and units in dealing with outbreaks.

Meanwhile, the Pasteur Institute needs to keep a close watch on and increase technical support to localities in handling the disease, the department added.

In the recent days, eye hospitals in Hanoi have received a surge number of patients suffering from pink-eye disease.

The combined number of pink-eye patients coming to the Hanoi Eye Hospitals and the Eye Hospital in Ha Dong district were up to nearly 1,200 over the past ten days.

To prevent the disease spread, medical stations and schools in Hanoi have taken part in disseminating information on how to prevent the disease. Many schools warned students and their parents to apply preventive measures, while allowing pink-eye-affected students to stay at home to avoid spreading the disease.

Vice Director of the Hanoi Eye Hospital, Doctor Trinh Thi Ngoc Binh said that it is necessary to keep personal hygiene and wear glasses to protect eyes.-VNA