At the same time, reports of dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease cases have been picking up. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Preventive Health Department at the health ministry, reported that there are still 30-40 new measles cases a day. Although the infections and deaths have all dropped since the April peak, a grave threat remains, Phu said. Most of the casualties have been children under five. Vice Minister Nguyen Thanh Long and Nguyen Viet Tien both said there's a risk of measles outbreaks within hospitals in and around Hanoi, the area which has reported the most deaths so far. The parents of a 13-year-old boy from Vinh Phuc Province (outside Hanoi) filed a lawsuit in late April against the Central Pediatrics Hospital after their son died following his release from treatment. The boy, who was treated for pneumonia, is one of many children who contracted measles while under treatment for other illnesses. Meanwhile, dengue fever has killed at least three children in Ho Chi Minh … [Read more...] about Deputy PM calls on Health Ministry for better communication in crisis
Health
Smell of Ebola lingers as health workers fight disease
Ebola has a specific smell, says Sebastian Stein, a medical worker in Sierra Leone. While he can’t really describe it, he can tell you the effect. “It’s full on. It’s in your face,” he said. Sulaiman Kanneh Saidu, who runs an Ebola treatment center, recalls running to a police station to escape an angry mob when he tried to move a diagnosed patient, along with other suspected cases, to a hospital. The mob wanted the patients treated at home, and that’s where they ended up, he said. At the front lines of the Ebola outbreak, doctors and support workers across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea face a daunting challenge. On a daily basis, they deal with patients who lie about their travel history, hopeful their fever has nothing to do with the funerals they attended. They face suspicion from families who mistrust them and neighbors who fear them. And they are frustrated by a lack of adequate supplies and the tough conditions they work under. In … [Read more...] about Smell of Ebola lingers as health workers fight disease
Health Ministry calls for measures against MERS
(VOVworld) – The Ministry of Health has called for measures to prevent the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by the Corona virus. The Ministry advised people to avoid contact with victims of the acute respiratory disease or else wear a facemask and keep a distance. Maintaining personal hygiene and ventilation in public places are other preventative measures. People flying from or to countries infected by MERS are advised to exercise caution. Health workers are required to use protective gear to prevent cross infection. … [Read more...] about Health Ministry calls for measures against MERS
A community-based health emergency response drill run in Hanoi
The Hanoitimes - The Health Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) under the Ministry of Health (MoH) held a community-based health emergency response drill on August 14 in Hanoi to strengthen its performance. Deputy Director of the MoH’s Preventive Medicine Administration Dang Quang Tan stressed the need to be well-prepared for community health emergencies, particularly in the context of increasing emerging diseases and pandemics in the world such as Ebola and Mers-CoV. Vietnam needs to develop specific Incident Action Plans (IAP), Tan underscored. Deputy Director of the MoH’s Preventive Medicine Administration Dang Quang Tan makes a speech at the drill. Participating in the drill were representatives from the EOC, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the drill, the national emergency was developed at four … [Read more...] about A community-based health emergency response drill run in Hanoi
Vietnam reviews health record book programme
The Hanoitimes - The Ministry of Health and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held a national seminar reviewing a programme on piloting maternal and child health (MCH) record books in Vietnam in Hanoi on August 11. Thu Minh … [Read more...] about Vietnam reviews health record book programme