Morning news, February 21st: Salinity intrusion trend intensifies, Mekong Delta provinces proactively respond.

Notable news: Salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta is trending upwards, with the 2024-2025 dry season exceeding the multi-year average; Ms. Nguyen Tran Phuong Tran appointed as deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City National Assembly delegation...

Tin tức sáng 21-2: Xâm nhập mặn xu hướng tăng, các tỉnh Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long chủ động ứng phó - Ảnh 1. — The Ho Chi Minh City delegation at a group discussion session to provide feedback on the draft law - Photo: BA SON

Ms. Nguyen Tran Phuong Tran serves as the deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City delegation of full-time National Assembly representatives for the 15th term.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly has passed a resolution approving the election results for the deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City delegation of full-time National Assembly deputies for the 15th term.

Accordingly, Ms. Nguyen Tran Phuong Tran - Member of Parliament, City Party Committee member, and President of the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Union - has been appointed as Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Delegation of the 15th National Assembly.

Previously, Ms. Van Thi Bach Tuyet, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee's Organization Department, held this position.

Many patients develop liver abscesses due to parasitic infections.

On February 20th, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases announced that recently, the hospital's virology-parasitology department has received and treated many patients with liver abscesses caused by parasitic infections.

Test results revealed that some patients tested positive for three types of parasites, including the giant liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica), the canine tapeworm (Toxocara canis), and the threadworm (Strongyloides stercoralis).

Dr. Tran Duy Hung, head of the Department of Virology and Parasitology, said: "Taking the patient's medical history reveals that living environment and lifestyle and eating habits play an important role in disease transmission."

Dr. Hung shared that some patients recently examined had large abscesses, up to 38 x 26 mm, scattered throughout the liver. If left untreated, these abscesses can cause a series of dangerous consequences such as: secondary infections, abdominal infection if the abscess ruptures into the abdominal cavity; sepsis if bacteria from the abscess spread into the bloodstream; liver failure, and multi-organ failure if liver damage is severe and prolonged.

People need to eat cooked food, drink boiled water, wash their hands before eating, and especially limit the consumption of raw foods such as raw vegetables, raw fish salad, and fermented meat. If raw vegetables are used, they must be thoroughly washed with clean water under running water.

Tin tức sáng 21-2: Xâm nhập mặn xu hướng tăng, mùa khô 2024-2025 cao hơn trung bình nhiều năm - Ảnh 2. — Salinity intrusion during the 2024-2025 dry season may occur at a much higher-than-average level - Photo: CHI HANH

With increasing saltwater intrusion, provinces in the Mekong Delta are proactively responding.

According to the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, during the 2024-2025 dry season, saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta will be higher than the multi-year average and concentrated from February to April 2025.

Salinity intrusion is likely to penetrate deeper into the Mekong Delta estuaries and intensify, affecting people's lives, agriculture, and socio-economic development in many localities such as Tien Giang , Soc Trang, and Ca Mau…

According to the Soc Trang Provincial Meteorological and Hydrological Station, the highest salinity levels on the Hau River are forecast to be 23.8 - 25.8‰ in Tran De district; 19.7 - 21.7‰ in the center of Long Phu district; 9.9 - 11.9‰ in Dai Ngai (Long Phu district); and 5.2 - 7.2‰ in An Lac Tay (Ke Sach district).

The highest salinity levels at stations on the Hau River are likely to occur from February to March 2025 and persist for an extended period due to a shortage of freshwater from upstream (the Mekong River).

According to Phung Tien Dung, Head of the Hydrological Forecasting Department at the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, the trend of saltwater intrusion in the area from February 21 to 28 will continue to decrease during the first 2-3 days of the following week, then increase again towards the end of the week.

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The highest salinity levels at the stations were approximately the same as or lower than the highest salinity levels recorded in February 2024.

The depth of the 4% salinity boundary during this period is likely to be as follows: Salinity intrusion range on the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers is 40-52km; on the Cua Tieu and Cua Dai rivers is 35-42km; on the Ham Luong river is 40-50km; on the Co Chien river is 35-42km; on the Hau river is 35-42km; and on the Cai Lon river is 30-37km.

Salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta during the 2024-2025 dry season will be higher than the multi-year average, but not as severe as the 2015-2016 and 2019-2020 dry seasons.

Transfer of the University Medical Hospital to the University Medical Center, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

The University Medical Center's Thanh Xuan campus in Hanoi, formerly the Construction Hospital under the Ministry of Construction, was transferred intact to the University Medical Center, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, according to a decision by Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

According to information from the school, the relocation plan has been implemented promptly, on schedule, and ensures the continuation of medical examination and treatment activities. Immediately after the relocation, the school and the hospital promptly surveyed and developed a plan to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment.

The transfer of the hospital under the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in its current state also helps to closely integrate the functions of training, research, and community service. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital is a Grade 1 general hospital, currently with 370 beds.

Before the relocation, the hospital's greatest strength was occupational health examinations.