Vietnamplus

Kindergartens and primary schools in Hanoi will be closed if the air quality index (AQI) hits 300 and above, equivalent to hazardous levels, city authorities announced on December 25.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) has been installing a system to monitor air quality across all provinces and cities with a view to improving air quality and people’s health.

Vietnam records about 12.5 million people with high blood pressure, 3.5 million others with obesity, two million people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and nearly 126,000 new cases of cancer.

Non-communicable diseases are the top cause of death in Vietnam, according to Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have promised to take swift action to curb the worsening air pollution, including improving environmental monitoring capacity and establishing an early warning system for residents.

Many studies in Hanoi have shown that heat inversion is one of the main causes for recent sharp rises in pollutants, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

Death toll caused by seasonal influenza, A (H1N1) pdm09, rose to 71 across Myanmar on July 24 as the figure was unveiled by the Public Health Department under the Ministry of Health and Sports on July 25.

The healthcare sector is adapting to new medical trends to meet higher public expectations for healthcare quality, the head of the Ministry of Health's Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and attended the Vietnam-Sweden business forum in Stockholmon on May 27 during his official visit to the European country.

The Ministry of Health has ordered hospitals across the country to prepare for new patients and maintain good services for inpatients during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The Health Ministry held a ceremony in Phu Ly city of northern Ha Nam province on October 21 to inaugurate outpatient departments of the new branches of Hanoi-based Bach Mai and Viet Duc hospitals.

A symposium in Hanoi on August 20 discussed air pollution in Vietnam and its considerable impact on public health.

The Medical Examination and Treatment Department under the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the AstraZeneca multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company, launched the “Healthy Lung” portal in Hanoi on August 16.

The Indonesian Government has warned its citizens against flu as it can lead to fatal complications such as pneumonia, as the government learns that many Indonesian people do not seek medical help until the disease becomes worse.

At Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, relatives of patients shiver with every gust of wind, even under their thick blankets. The recent chill is making their time as hospital visitors even more difficult.

Vietnam has an increasing incidence of respiratory diseases, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) repeatedly issuing warnings that it is among the most air-polluted countries in the Asia-Pacific region, according to health experts.

Indoor pollutants are one of main causes of chronic respiratory diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, a study has found.

Indonesia’s Terra and Aqua satellites have detected 27 hotspots with risk of forest fire in seven provinces of Sumatra archipelago, according to the Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The capital city of Hanoi plans to move 117 polluting enterprises from the inner city by 2020, but the blueprint has met a number of obstacles.

Urban citizens, especially children, are being exposed to higher risks of respiratory diseases as air pollution worsens, experts have said.