Ministry of Health requires thorough handling of diphtheria epidemic

Medical news on November 26: Ministry of Health requests thorough handling of diphtheria epidemic

According to a document from the Department of Preventive Medicine , information from the event-based surveillance system in Cao Bang (Bao Lam district) recorded a death due to diphtheria.

Ministry of Health requires thorough handling of diphtheria outbreak

To proactively prevent and control diphtheria, not allowing the disease to spread and break out, the Department of Preventive Medicine respectfully requests the Department of Health of Cao Bang province and the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to direct units and localities to urgently strengthen the screening of cases in close contact with diphtheria patients; monitor and promptly detect suspected cases at outbreaks and in the community;

Health authorities test people for diphtheria.

Take samples for testing to promptly identify cases of the disease; organize investigation, close monitoring and prophylactic antibiotic treatment for all close contacts; disinfect and treat the epidemic environment and implement measures to thoroughly handle the epidemic according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.

At the same time, review cases that have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated against diphtheria in the area; organize supplementary vaccinations and sweep vaccinations, giving priority to epidemic areas, neighboring areas and localities with low vaccination rates.

Ensure admission, emergency, examination and treatment triage; minimize deaths; strictly implement infection control and cross-infection prevention at medical examination and treatment facilities; require medical staff to fully implement personal protective measures to prevent infection during contact with patients.

The Department of Preventive Medicine also requested the above units to strengthen communication about diphtheria so that people can proactively take preventive measures; closely monitor the health of children and students at schools; regularly clean and ventilate classrooms and promptly notify medical facilities when detecting suspected cases of the disease for thorough treatment, preventing disease outbreaks.

Review and ensure logistics of vaccines, preventive antibiotics, antitoxin serum, chemicals, etc. to carry out anti-epidemic tasks; allocate funds and mobilize resources to support logistics work for epidemic prevention.

Mobilize human resources to support epidemic areas, send mobile anti-epidemic teams and mobile emergency teams to support localities in implementing epidemic prevention and control work.

Organize training for medical staff on disease surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, patient care, infection control and organize inspection, monitoring and direction teams at outbreaks and areas at risk of disease outbreaks.

At the same time, strictly implement the timely and complete reporting of cases of disease, suspected cases, and outbreaks on the Infectious Disease Surveillance Management System according to the provisions of Circular No. 54/2015/TT-BYT dated December 28, 2015 of the Ministry of Health on guidelines for the information reporting and declaration regime of infectious diseases and epidemics.

The Department of Preventive Medicine requested the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to closely monitor the epidemic situation and send a working group to direct, guide and support localities in implementing disease prevention and control measures.

Thanh Hoa launches vaccination campaign to prevent measles

Faced with the widespread and strong outbreak of measles in some localities, the health sector of Thanh Hoa province has stepped up measures to prevent and control measles.

According to information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Thanh Hoa province, since the beginning of 2024, there have been 5 measles outbreaks in the province in Sam Son city, Thuong Xuan and Nong Cong districts, with a total of 572 cases. Currently, the outbreaks have been controlled and no new cases have been recorded.

As soon as there was information about a case or suspected case, CDC Thanh Hoa synchronously deployed measles surveillance and prevention activities.

Health centers in localities with cases are directed to investigate, verify information, conduct epidemiological investigations, isolate, contain, and handle outbreaks on the spot. At the same time, CDC also evaluates and reviews measles vaccination rates, thereby developing catch-up and catch-up vaccination plans for those who have not been fully vaccinated.

Faced with the complicated developments of the measles epidemic, the Ministry of Health has allocated 38,180 doses of Measles-Rubella vaccine (MR vaccine) to Thanh Hoa to implement the measles vaccination campaign in 2024.

Since the end of September 2024, Thanh Hoa has received the above vaccines and distributed nearly 30,000 doses to localities, to vaccinate children aged 1-5 who have not received 2 doses of measles vaccine as prescribed. Currently, the group of children aged 1-5 years across the province has completed vaccination. The group of children aged 6-10 years is being vaccinated in 8 localities. Localities continue to review, investigate and make a list of children in this age group who have not received enough doses of measles vaccine to organize timely vaccination.

It is expected that nearly 29,000 children will need to be vaccinated during this period, however, the remaining number of vaccines in the CDC warehouse to meet the demand is only more than 8,000 doses.

Along with that, the work of reviewing and implementing measles-rubella vaccination for children aged 6-10 who have not received 2 doses of measles vaccine has been carried out. The vaccination campaign has been organized for children aged 1-5 who have not received 2 doses of measles vaccine. Up to now, the vaccination rate has reached 93% for both groups.

A representative of the Thanh Hoa CDC said that the current peak of the epidemic is not only occurring in Thanh Hoa but also spreading nationwide. In Thanh Hoa, 5 outbreaks have been recorded, of which the most recent outbreak in Nong Cong district ended after 14 days, with no new cases since the last case was detected. The locality has been supported with 38,180 doses of vaccine to vaccinate children aged 1-5 and 6-10 years old.

Previously, as soon as information about measles cases was received, CDC held a meeting to assess the situation and reported to the Department of Health to establish a working group to coordinate with local health centers where the cases occurred. We have synchronously deployed disease surveillance and prevention activities, directed health centers to conduct investigations, verify information, conduct epidemiological investigations, isolate, contain and handle the situation locally.

At the same time, evaluate and review the measles vaccination rate in localities to develop a catch-up vaccination plan, organize training on monitoring and treatment for lower levels, and compile statistics and report daily epidemics according to regulations.

Currently, the measles epidemic in Thanh Hoa has been strictly controlled, no new outbreaks have occurred. Screening and vaccination work is still being actively implemented, ensuring compliance with the set plan.

Dengue fever epidemic in Hai Phong tends to decrease

In the 46th week, the number of dengue fever cases in Hai Phong has tended to decrease. Accordingly, the city and the health sector continue to monitor and simultaneously deploy epidemic prevention measures to minimize the spread of the disease and protect public health.

According to the report of the Hai Phong City Center for Disease Control, in week 46 (from November 11 to November 17, 2024), the dengue fever epidemic situation in Hai Phong showed positive signs when the number of cases decreased significantly compared to the previous week. Specifically, the whole city recorded 357 new cases, down 12.7% compared to week 45 (409 cases). Notably, no deaths were recorded.

Since the beginning of the year, Hai Phong has recorded 21,192 cases of dengue fever, an increase of 15.1 times compared to the same period in 2023 (1,320 cases). In the past week, the districts with the highest number of cases were Le Chan (126 cases), Ngo Quyen (105 cases), Hai An (36 cases), Cat Hai (22 cases), and Kien An (15 cases).

Along with the decrease in new cases, the number of outbreaks also tends to decrease. Last week, 49 new outbreaks were discovered, bringing the total number of outbreaks since the beginning of the year to 2,795, of which 115 are active. However, up to this point, 2,680 outbreaks have stopped operating. The districts with the highest number of active outbreaks are Ngo Quyen (20 outbreaks), An Duong (18 outbreaks), and Thuy Nguyen (14 outbreaks).

In this situation, Hai Phong continues to deploy a series of strong measures to control the epidemic. Authorities carry out a campaign to kill mosquito larvae and clean the environment in 73 communes/wards in 9 districts. Mosquito-killing chemicals are also sprayed in 21 communes/wards, with a total of 45 points and 219 households participating.

Vector surveillance, serological testing and thorough handling of outbreaks were carried out synchronously. In particular, communication work was promoted through loudspeakers in wards/communes, helping to raise awareness of epidemic prevention in the community.

Although the number of cases has decreased, the risk of an outbreak still exists due to the high number of cases accumulated since the beginning of the year. In the coming time, Hai Phong will continue to strengthen surveillance to detect early cases in the community and thoroughly handle outbreaks.

Environmental sanitation, mosquito larvae eradication and waste collection campaigns will be implemented more vigorously to reduce the density of disease-carrying mosquitoes. In addition, propaganda measures will continue to be promoted so that people can proactively protect their health.

According to the assessment of the Hai Phong health sector, the dengue fever situation in Hai Phong is showing positive changes but still requires close coordination between the government and the people to thoroughly control it. The city also encourages people to proactively implement preventive measures, contributing to protecting public health.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tin-moi-y-te-ngay-2611-bo-y-te-yeu-cau-xu-ly-triet-de-dich-bach-hau-d230927.html