Vietnam takes measures to prevent Ebola disease

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on August 9 had an emergency meeting in Hanoi with related ministries and agencies to seek ways to prevent Ebola virus disease that is raging across West Africa.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam onAugust 9 had an emergency meeting in Hanoi with related ministries andagencies to seek ways to prevent Ebola virus disease that is ragingacross West Africa.

PM Dung stressed that the most importantgoal currently is to prevent Ebola from entering Vietnam and ensurethe safety of people from the disease.

He asked the Ministry ofHealth to collaborate closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO)to get thorough understanding of the situation, while updating thecommunity with the developments and well as the danger of the disease.

Heurged the ministry to educate people on the transmission method of thedisease and ways to protect themselves from being infected.

It is also important to prepare plans of response as well as treatment methods in case Ebola enters Vietnam , he said.

PMDung also asked for the installation of health observation equipment inall border gates, while taking measures to limit citizens fromtravelling to affected countries.

In an effort to prevent thedisease, the Ministry of Health will ask people from West Africancountries affected by the Ebola outbreak to sign a medical declarationbefore entering Vietnam from August 15.

Any person suspectedof having come into contact with the virus will be stopped at airportsor border gates by quarantine staff, isolated and given medical support.

Theministry reported that as of August 7, Vietnam had not recorded anyEbola cases, but the deadly virus may enter the country throughtourists, guest workers coming from or others transiting via WestAfrican countries.

Also on August 9, the People’s Committee ofthe northern boundary province of Lao Cai also issued an emergencydirection asking its health sector to step up prevention measure againstEbola, with a focus on health supervision on people entering Vietnamthrough the Lao Cai International Border Gate.

According toWHO, Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contactwith the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infectedanimals.

It then spreads in the community through human-to-humantransmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (throughbroken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs orother bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact withenvironments contaminated with such fluids.

The disease is asevere acute viral illness often characterised by the sudden onset offever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This isfollowed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liverfunction, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

As yet, no licenced vaccination for Ebola is available.

OnAugust 6, WHO reported Ebola affections were 1,711, with death tollrising to 932, mostly in West African countries of Guinea, Liberia,Nigeria and Sierra Leone.-VNA

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