The Ministry of Health activates the polio prevention and control system.

QNgTV - The Ministry of Health assesses the risk of polio entering the country as very high following the World Health Organization's warning that Laos has declared a nationwide polio outbreak, including a case testing positive for a mutated polio virus just 150km from Quang Tri.

The Ministry of Health activates the polio prevention and control system.

Vietnam faces a high risk of polio outbreaks because polio vaccination rates have not met targets in recent years. In 2024, the vaccination rate was only 73%, while the IPV2 dose reached 86%. These immunity gaps could allow the virus to enter and spread if not filled promptly. Furthermore, the acute flaccid paralysis surveillance system in some localities has not reached the minimum threshold of 2/100,000 children under 15 years old. Environmental surveillance – a crucial tool for detecting the silent circulation of the virus – has been suspended since the end of 2023, reducing the ability for early detection.

The Ministry of Health also requested enhanced cross-border coordination with Laos, information sharing with the WHO and the global polio network to ensure technical support, vaccines, and funding are available when needed to implement the bOPV booster immunization campaign in high-risk provinces, while also strengthening catch-up and supplementary immunization in other localities.

Simultaneously, a comprehensive polio preparedness and response plan – including vaccination, surveillance, testing, and international coordination – needs to be completed soon. Active surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis should be activated, with timely case investigations and sampling at all health facilities; and environmental surveillance sites should be restored, especially in the northern region and high-risk provinces.

Source: https://quangngaitv.vn/bo-y-te-kich-hoat-he-thong-phong-chong-bai-liet-6511777.html