Illustrative image (Source: VNA) As of the morning July 29, 21,148 monkeypox cases had been recorded in 78 countries, with the US seeing the most infections, followed by countries in Europe and Africa. This disease is spreading fast globally, a surge of 16,000 to over 21,000 in just one week, Dr. Eric Dziuban, Country Director for CDC Vietnam, told an online press briefing on July 29.
Vietnam should get ahead of the curve with a response plan in case monkeypox enters the country to prevent the risk of community transmission, he recommended.
Since June, the CDC has coordinated with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health to compile documents guiding monkeypox supervision, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. It is also working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help Vietnam and other countries acquire monkeypox test kits as soon as possible, he said.
Noting symptoms of this disease, Dziuban said some countries are carrying out monkeypox vaccinations. The US Government and others in the world are coordinating to promote the development and production of new-generation vaccine so that this outbreak could be soon contained globally.
He also highlighted the importance of communications to raise public awareness of the disease and prevention measures. The appropriate warnings should be given to member groups to increase effectiveness and prevent discrimination, he said./.
VNA
