On Sep. 24, 2010, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health (MoH) Trinh Quan Huan issued the Document No. 6418/BYT-DP on directing the directors of Pasteur Institute Nha Trang, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Tay Nguyen and IMPE Quy Nhon to implement the emergency telegram of the Prime Minister on strengthening the prevention of dengue fever in Central Vietnam.
According to the MoH, from early 2010 until now, about 59,552 cases of dengue fever/dengue haemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) and 44 deaths have been recorded nationwide, which decreased by 4.3% and 10.2% respectively compared with the same period of 2009. However, the DF/DHF morbidity has still increased locally in the provinces of West Highlands and some provinces of the Central and South Vietnam; particularly, DF/DHF outbreaks have been tending to spread quickly, exerting strong influence on the health and life of the community.
Implementing the emergency telegram of the Prime Minister on activities of controlling dengue fever, stamping out outbreak focus and preventing epidemic from spreading, the MoH required the Institutes' directors to carry out DF/DHF control activities seriously; for examles, appointing standing mission teams to hot-spots of the cities/provinces to stamp out and contain DF/DHF outbreaks; directing departments of health, centers for preventive medicine of the cities/provinces to implement the activities of stamping out and controlling the outbreaks, ensuring a 15% decrease of DF/DHF patients per week in previous outbreak focus; ready to give technical support, materials and insecticides to the localities; setting up and conducting the epidemic control plan in the last three months of 2010 at the severely-hit areas, including those at risk with no DF/DHF patients recorded yet; recapitulating and giving reports of DF/DHF situation to the Department of Preventive Medicine (MoH) every week; taking responsibility for the DF/DHF situation in the region and to the leaderships of MoH. The MoH will continue to inspect and monitor the DF/DHF prevention activities at the cities/provinces and be ready to give emergent assistance of chemicals and equipments for epidemic control.
Inspecting and monitoring the DF/DHF prevention activities.
(In photo: Medical staff checked the mosquito larvae at a household in Phu Yen province) |
Effectuating the MoH's direction, on Sep. 29, 2010, the IMPE Quy Nhon held the meeting of standing committee on epidemic prevention to sent mission teams to the provinces that the Institute is in charge of in the Central (Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen and Binh Dinh) and West Highlands (Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum) in collaboration with Pasteur Institute Nha Trang, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Tay Nguyen, departments of health and centers for preventive medicine of the above-mentioned provinces to implement the activities of DF/DHF prevention. The results of DF/DHF control at the Central Vietnam will be quickly reported to the Department of Preventive Medicine (MoH) according to regulations as well as sent to the localities to timely prevent the spread of the disease in the region.