Prevent bird flu from entering Vietnam and infecting humans

The Ministry of Health has just sent a document to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities on strengthening the prevention of avian influenza from spreading to humans.

According to the Ministry of Health, information from the International Health Regulations (IHR) focal point of Cambodia, from November 23, 2023 to now, the Cambodian Ministry of Health has recorded 2 more cases of A/H5N1 influenza in Kampot province. Accumulated from the beginning of 2023 to now, Cambodia has recorded 6 cases of A/H5N1 influenza, including 3 deaths.

Kampot Province, Cambodia is a province bordering the southwest of Vietnam. In the context of increasingly open trade exchanges between Vietnam and other countries in the world, the risk of avian influenza entering the country and infecting humans is very high, especially in provinces bordering countries with epidemics.

In Vietnam, according to information from the Department of Animal Health (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), avian influenza is still occurring sporadically in localities. In addition, the current weather is in the transitional and unusually changing phase, which is favorable for the development of avian influenza viruses.

It is worth noting that people tend to increase poultry farming to prepare for the Lunar New Year in 2024, so poultry transportation and trading activities may increase, always posing a potential risk of bird flu transmission to humans.

To proactively prevent avian influenza from entering Vietnam and infecting humans, the Department of Preventive Medicine requests that Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities pay attention to directing their affiliated units to urgently implement a number of key contents.

Provinces need to strengthen close monitoring of entrants to promptly detect suspected/infected cases, especially those who slaughter and trade poultry and live poultry products, and those with a history of coming from epidemic areas (including poultry and human epidemics), promptly take samples and send them to the Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology/Pasteur for diagnostic testing; manage cases (if any) and handle them to prevent the disease from spreading to the community.

Medical units need to strengthen monitoring of cases of acute respiratory infections, severe viral pneumonia syndrome and influenza syndrome to promptly detect cases of influenza A/H5N1; hospitals are ready to admit, isolate and treat according to regulations of the Ministry of Health and promptly notify the Center for Disease Control to take timely measures to prevent and control the epidemic.

Health and veterinary agencies should strengthen close coordination with local authorities in monitoring and detecting avian influenza, especially at border gates and live poultry markets, promptly share information and thoroughly handle outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health also requested localities to strengthen propaganda on measures to prevent bird flu infection to humans in areas with sick and dead poultry and high-risk areas; prepare medicines, supplies, chemicals, and means to promptly support localities in implementing measures to handle outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health requests that provinces coordinate in the prevention and control of diseases transmitted from animals to humans according to the provisions of Joint Circular No. 16/2013/TTLT BYT-BNN&PTNT dated May 27, 2013 of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guidelines for coordination in the prevention and control of diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

Medical units need to report infectious diseases according to Circular No. 54/2015/TT-BYT dated December 28, 2015 of the Minister of Health on Guidelines for reporting and declaring infectious diseases and epidemics to the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health).