Biosecurity measures are taken for a cow herd to prevent disease outbreaks. Photo: VNA Vietnam has been proactive in taking measures and implementing programmes to prevent the spread of animal diseases to humans, an international conference heard.
The two-day conference on preventing the spread of animal diseases to humans was opened in Hanoi on August 25 by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
The conference showed Vietnam’s active role as the pioneering country in effort to prevent the spread of animal diseases to humans, especially newly-emerged dangerous diseases under the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
The conference aims to raise awareness and share experience in preventing the transmission of animal diseases to humans and priority activities between countries in the region and the world to achieve the goal of the five-year plan “the action package to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to humans.”
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long affirmed that Vietnam and Indonesia committed to actively implementing the action package to contribute to the global effort in putting a stop to the spread of animal diseases to humans.
Over the past years, Vietnam has implemented many activities to improve capability of the health and agriculture sectors to early spot and quickly respond to diseases from animals to humans, and increase the inter-sector, regional and international cooperation.
The Prime Minister established a national inter-sector steering committee to implement programmes preventing epidemics, focusing on avian influenza and flu epidemic on humans. The cooperation between the MoH and MARD on the issue has been deepened.
A public health emergency operations centre (EOC) opened in Vietnam in 2013 with the participation of the MoH, MARD, and international organisations (WHO, FAO and USCDC) to coordinate and respond to new diseases, most of which come from animals.
As the pioneering country in ASEAN, Vietnam worked with other member countries to create a strategy for removal of rabies.
ASEAN currently is creating an action plan to implement the strategy.
MARD Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam appreciated close, comprehensive and transparent cooperation with the World Organisation for Animal Health and FAO.
Vietnam also had extensive cooperation with WHO and the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.-VNA
