Doctors care for a COVID-19 patient at an intensive care unit in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA) During over 30 years since the launch of the national Expanded Immunisation Programme, Vietnam hasdeveloped the capacity of monitoring, detecting, diagnosing, and responding todisease outbreaks in a swift and effective manner. Despite socio-economicchallenges, improvements have been recorded in the prevention and control ofdangerous and emerging diseases, reception and treatment of patients, as wellas the preparedness to respond to dangerous epidemics.
As a result, many deadly contagious diseases have been brought under control and eradicated such as smallpox eliminated in1978, polio in 2000, and neonatal tetanus in 2005 while no new cases of bubonicplague have been reported since 2002.
Infections of other epidemics likediphtheria, whooping cough and measles have also been reduced by hundreds oreven thousands of times compared to the time prior to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. Many other endemic diseases that can break out into epidemicssuch as dengue fever, viral encephalitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, and cholerahave been curbed with both infections and fatalities minimised with no major breakouts.
Vietnam was one of the firstcountries to succeed in containing the SARS, A/H5N1, and A/H1N1 outbreaks. Italso successfully prevented some dangerous and emerging diseases like A/H7N9,Ebola, and MERS-CoV from entering the country.
In particular, after more than three years,Vietnam has managed to contain the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that spreadaround the globe, thus greatly helping with its socio-economic recovery anddevelopment.
Monitoring and testing capacity hasalso been promoted when it comes to emerging communicable diseases, from MERS-CoV,Ebola to A/H7N9 and COVID-19. The communicable disease surveillance system,including surveillance in the community, at border gates and at laboratories,along with surveillance in areas with abnormal epidemiological factors hasproved effective.
The achievements of Vietnam have earnedworldwide recognition. The country’s good performance has enhanced people’strust and won admiration from the international community.
Pointing outcomplex developments of communicable diseases in the world, Deputy Minister ofHealth Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said the tropical monsoon climate and growingtrade and tourism make Vietnam highly vulnerable to different epidemics.
To prevent diseases from becomingepidemics and gearing up for future pandemics or health emergencies, the Ministryof Health (MoH) will push ahead with implementing tasks and solutions asassigned by the Party Central Committee, National Assembly, Government, andPrime Minister, she noted.
It will stepup access to global health security in disease prevention and control to shareinformation and experience via bilateral and multilateral cooperationmechanisms, thereby showing its sense of responsibility towards internationalcooperation in epidemic response, according to the official.
At aceremony held on December 27, 2023 in response to the International Day ofEpidemic Preparedness, the MoH asked provinces and centrally-run cities to enhancedisease prevention and control; ready response plans in case of pandemics orhealth emergencies; improve the capacity of anti-epidemic systems at alllevels, especially in disadvantaged, remote, mountainous, border, maritime, andethnic minority areas; and engage all sides, including authorities, sectors, andsocio-political organisations, in the work.
The MoH alsocalled on the entire people and community to better disease awareness, improvetheir health, and actively join in disease prevention efforts./.
VNA
