Ministry of Health issues document on disease prevention and control during the April 30 and May 1 holidays

On April 27, the Ministry of Health informed that it had sent a document to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities on proactively implementing disease prevention and control activities.

To proactively implement disease prevention and control activities, especially during the April 30 and May 1 holidays; the upcoming summer tourist peak in 2024 when travel demand increases, the Ministry of Health requests the People's Committees of provinces and cities to effectively implement disease prevention and control activities and expanded vaccination.

Medical units develop and submit to the People's Council for promulgation of spending norms for preventive medical activities to proactively implement disease prevention activities; Allocate sufficient funds for the implementation of infectious disease prevention and control activities and expanded vaccination from local budget sources according to the 4 on-site motto to ensure compliance with regulations.

The Department of Health closely monitors the epidemic situation in the area, proactively detects early suspected cases right at the border gate, in the community and at medical facilities; closely coordinates with the Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur to proactively analyze the situation and assess risks to propose and implement appropriate and timely epidemic prevention and control measures.

Medical facilities shall organize regular epidemic prevention and control at all levels; ensure the operation of mobile epidemic prevention teams and mobile emergency teams to be ready to investigate, verify, assess, handle outbreaks and support lower levels in controlling outbreaks, providing emergency care and treatment when necessary.

The Ministry of Health requires drastic implementation of prevention measures, thoroughly handling outbreaks, not allowing new outbreaks to occur, especially infectious diseases with high morbidity and mortality.

For rabies, ensure adequate and increase people's access to rabies vaccines and anti-rabies serum, especially in high-risk areas, arrange at least 1 vaccination point in each district, in areas with large areas and difficult terrain, consider arranging additional vaccination points; strengthen coordination with the agricultural sector to closely monitor cases of suspected rabid dog and cat bites, provide vaccination instructions and promptly handle outbreaks.

For dengue fever, strongly implement communication campaigns to prevent dengue fever.

Localities need to organize environmental sanitation campaigns, kill mosquito larvae to prevent dengue fever. Propaganda to help people actively respond to disease prevention measures for individuals and communities, proactively participate in cleaning up waste items containing stagnant water, where mosquito larvae and mosquitoes develop, cover tightly and release fish into tanks and containers containing domestic water.

For hand, foot and mouth disease, closely monitor the epidemic situation, promptly detect and handle new outbreaks, and take samples for testing to identify the causative agent.

According to the Ministry of Health, the infectious disease situation in the world is still complicated, in which some diseases such as measles, whooping cough... are recorded to increase in many countries around the world.

In April 2024, the World Health Organization warned of an increase in measles cases and the risk of measles outbreaks in many regions of the world.

In the country, the infectious disease situation is still basically under control. However, in the general context of the world, in Vietnam, there have been scattered cases of disease, outbreaks of measles, whooping cough, chickenpox... and have begun to increase in some localities.

In addition, some endemic diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease and rabies also have an increased number of cases compared to the same period in 2023. In April 2024, a death due to influenza A/H5N1 was recorded, the second case since 2014; at the same time, the first case of influenza A/H9N2 was recorded.