Ministry of Health warns of monkeypox virus spreading in the community

Statistics from the beginning of July 2023 to now, the whole country has recorded 56 cases of monkeypox, with 1 death. 63% of monkeypox cases are infected with HIV and 46% of cases have other sexually transmitted diseases.

The Ministry of Health has warned that monkeypox has entered the community. It is likely that Vietnam will continue to record new cases of the disease.

Illustration photo. Internet

The Department of Preventive Medicine , Ministry of Health has issued a document requesting the Directors of the Departments of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities to direct and implement the monitoring and early detection of cases and sources of monkeypox infection.

Accordingly, provinces and centrally run cities should promote proactive surveillance at medical examination and treatment facilities, event-based surveillance in the community and at border gates (if any), integrate surveillance with HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities, surveillance at gynecological and dermatological examination facilities, public and private health facilities providing HIV/AIDS prevention and control services (HIV testing, PrEP pre-exposure prophylaxis, ARV treatment) to detect cases, clusters of cases, and sources of infection, thereby providing counseling, care, and treatment services.

Localities manage cases and contacts to prevent further infection and spread to the community and prevent infection among medical staff; provide counseling and HIV testing for patients and sexual partners of monkeypox patients.

For suspected cases, samples should be taken for testing, contacted, and sent to the Pasteur Institute/Regional Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for testing and diagnosis.

The Department of Preventive Medicine also requested provinces and cities to organize training for medical staff at all levels on monitoring, prevention, care, treatment, and prevention of monkeypox infection.

At the same time, proactively develop and update plans and scenarios for disease prevention and control according to situations to be ready to respond when an epidemic occurs in the area; prepare medicine, equipment, human resources, and funding to implement measures for admission, treatment, and disease prevention and control.

In addition, provinces and cities continue to communicate measures to prevent and control monkeypox according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, focusing on communicating to high-risk groups, and at the same time recommending people to proactively report to health agencies when having suspected symptoms or having the disease.

Compiled from VTV

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