Vietnam faces a high risk of avian influenza H7N9 spreading into thecountry as it shares a borderline with China, Health Minister NguyenThi Kim Tien said at a conference in Hanoi on April 13.
Addressing the event, jointly held by the Ministry of Health and theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development on measures to preventavian influenza H7N9, Tien noted that the number of patients infectedwith the avian influenza (Type H7N9) in China has reached 43, ofwhom 11 have died.
The minister said her ministry hasrequested the healthcare systems at all levels to enhance supervisionand coordination with relevant organisations to prevent the epidemic.
The Ministry of Health has also approved an action plan with theaim of timely detecting and dealing with any infection of the diseaseand limit its impacts.
Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Deputy Director of thePreventive Medicine Department, said poultry smuggling from China toVietnam and the high transportation demand of the two countries’people can increase the infection risk.
Phu added thatVietnam has not recorded any case of human infected with the H7N9virus. However, there has been one person dying of the influenza typeH5N1 since the beginning of the year.
To prevent avianinfluenza effectively, the Ministry of Health will coordinate with theagriculture sector to eliminate bird flu outbreaks in poultry and wildbirds and improve food safety.
The ministry also prepares thehealth care system, enhances staff training about the prevention andtreatment methods of the influenza, boosts education campaigns toincrease people’s awareness and strictly manages poultry tradingactivities.
In addition, the Ministry of Health will workclosely with international organisation, particularly the World HealthOrganisation (WHO), to keep up-to-date with the epidemic’s progrerss,supervising measures and seek support in the form of medicine andmedical equipment and materials.
According to medical specialists, the source and ways how the avian influenza type H7N9 spreads have not been discovered.
No vaccine is currently available for this subtype of the influenzavirus and there is so far no evidence of ongoing human-to-humantransmission.
Preventive measures include keepinggood personal hygiene, washing hands with soap regularly and avoidingpossible infection sources like poultry markets.-VNA
Addressing the event, jointly held by the Ministry of Health and theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development on measures to preventavian influenza H7N9, Tien noted that the number of patients infectedwith the avian influenza (Type H7N9) in China has reached 43, ofwhom 11 have died.
The minister said her ministry hasrequested the healthcare systems at all levels to enhance supervisionand coordination with relevant organisations to prevent the epidemic.
The Ministry of Health has also approved an action plan with theaim of timely detecting and dealing with any infection of the diseaseand limit its impacts.
Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Deputy Director of thePreventive Medicine Department, said poultry smuggling from China toVietnam and the high transportation demand of the two countries’people can increase the infection risk.
Phu added thatVietnam has not recorded any case of human infected with the H7N9virus. However, there has been one person dying of the influenza typeH5N1 since the beginning of the year.
To prevent avianinfluenza effectively, the Ministry of Health will coordinate with theagriculture sector to eliminate bird flu outbreaks in poultry and wildbirds and improve food safety.
The ministry also prepares thehealth care system, enhances staff training about the prevention andtreatment methods of the influenza, boosts education campaigns toincrease people’s awareness and strictly manages poultry tradingactivities.
In addition, the Ministry of Health will workclosely with international organisation, particularly the World HealthOrganisation (WHO), to keep up-to-date with the epidemic’s progrerss,supervising measures and seek support in the form of medicine andmedical equipment and materials.
According to medical specialists, the source and ways how the avian influenza type H7N9 spreads have not been discovered.
No vaccine is currently available for this subtype of the influenzavirus and there is so far no evidence of ongoing human-to-humantransmission.
Preventive measures include keepinggood personal hygiene, washing hands with soap regularly and avoidingpossible infection sources like poultry markets.-VNA
