Health centres in Ho Chi Minh City are working to verify how many children aged one to five have not been immunised against measles for a national campaign to provide free two-in-one vaccines against measles and rubella starting this month.
The number of dengue fever cases in Ho Chi Minh City shot up by 125 percent in October compared to a year earlier and could rise further this month, the peak season, the Preventive Health Centre has warned.
The HCM City Department of Education and Training has instructed managers of schools to take preventive measures against the spread of contagious disease among students.
Hospitals in the southern region have admitted many patients diagnosed with hand-foot-mouth disease, measles or upper respiratory infections as the peak season for contagious diseases has arrived.
Residents in the central city of Da Nang should intensify measures against dengue fever as the rainy season has started, encouraging mosquito populations to grow, said a local doctor.
People with HIV/AIDS in the southeastern province of Dong Nai who have public health insurance can now go to any medical facility for treatment without requiring a transfer order from their designated hospital.
Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities plan to reduce the exploitation of groundwater from now to 2025 to prevent land subsidence and protect residents’ health.
HCM City targets a serious reduction in the number of AIDS cases by 2030, according to the city’s Health Department.
All hospitals in the country are responsible for reporting about patients with infectious diseases through an electronic surveillance system to enable preventive health officials to take timely preventive action.
Ho Chi Minh City is considering an eight-year plan to reduce the exploitation of groundwater resources in an aim to protect residents’ health and avoid risks of land subsidence.
Experts are warning against an outbreak of dengue fever and hand-foot-mouth disease as wet weather continues.
Ho Chi Minh City has seen a downward trend in dengue-fever disease, but a surge in hand-foot-mouth disease since August, particularly in the new school year.
Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 13,763 cases of dengue fever since the beginning of this year, an increase of 27 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the municipal Department of Health.
The Department of Preventive Medicine has instructed health officials in provinces and cities nationwide to cooperate with education departments to strengthen cleanliness at schools to prevent outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever.
More doctors throughout the country will receive training courses on treatment of dengue fever, as the number of cases has increased since the end of May and overcrowding continues at city and central-level hospitals.
More resources should be channeled into grassroots and preventive medicine, which is considered as the root of the health sector, focusing on extremely disadvantaged areas, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
The HCM City People’s Committee has instructed districts to monitor preventive action taken against dengue fever and Zika as the southern region enters the rainy season.
Nineteen Zika virus cases have been reported in HCM City since the beginning of the year, according to the city Preventive Health Centre.
