All-out effort to contain Ebola outbreak

Given the complex developments of the Ebola epidemic in Africa, especially in Congo and Uganda, the Vietnamese health sector is proactively implementing many measures to respond to this dangerous disease.

Monitoring incoming travelers at Tan Son Nhat Airport to prevent the spread of disease.

Highly contagious, high risk of death.

On the afternoon of May 29th, the Department of Disease Prevention ( Ministry of Health ) continued to inform the press about the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain in Congo and Uganda. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), as of May 27th, Congo recorded 1,077 suspected cases, including 238 suspected deaths; and 121 confirmed cases, including 17 deaths. Uganda recorded 7 confirmed cases, including 1 death.

Dr. Angela Pratt, Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Office in Vietnam, stated that the WHO recently declared a public health emergency of international concern regarding the outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The WHO assessed the risk of Ebola spread as very high at the national level (in Congo and Uganda), high for the African region due to urban cases, population mobility, instability, and limitations in healthcare systems, and low globally, including in Vietnam.

According to Associate Professor, Doctor Le Quoc Hung, Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases at Cho Ray Hospital, Ebola virus disease is a Group A infectious disease, particularly dangerous, with the ability to spread very quickly and a mortality rate that can reach 90%. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days. The disease is mainly transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions, and bodily waste of infected individuals, or through surfaces and objects contaminated with the virus. People infected with Ebola usually only transmit the disease to others once they have started showing symptoms.

The disease spreads easily in situations such as late detection, patients traveling through many places before isolation, unsafe home care, poor infection control in hospitals, the use of unsafe needles or medical instruments, or burials involving direct contact with the deceased's body. “Vietnam has not yet recorded any Ebola cases, but the risk of cases entering through people returning from affected areas is still possible; therefore, Ebola should be considered when there is fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or bleeding after returning from an affected area or having risky contact within 21 days. The most important thing is early reporting, proper isolation, safe referral, and good protection for healthcare workers,” Associate Professor, Doctor Le Quoc Hung informed.

Tighten health quarantine measures at border crossings.

Although the WHO assesses the risk of Ebola spreading globally, including to Vietnam, as international trade expands, the risk of dangerous diseases entering through border crossings is present and not insignificant. In response to this situation, the Ministry of Health has quickly activated a series of response measures to prevent the risk of the disease entering the country.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Nguyen Hong Tam, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), said that to proactively prevent the spread of Ebola into the city, the HCDC has intensified medical quarantine at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and other seaports in Ho Chi Minh City. The city's health sector is monitoring all incoming travelers through airports and seaports 24/7. Special attention is being paid to individuals arriving from, passing through, or with a history of stay in countries or regions reporting Ebola cases within the past 21 days, and medical isolation and testing measures are being implemented for those with suspected symptoms. In addition, inspections of incoming vehicles from affected areas are being strengthened, especially for ships and flights traveling to, from, or transiting through African regions where Ebola cases have been reported.

The Hanoi Department of Health also requested its affiliated units to strengthen epidemiological monitoring and surveillance, especially at international air gateways, while preparing personnel, medicines, chemicals, isolation areas, and medical supplies to respond in case of suspected cases. Currently, the functional forces of the Hanoi CDC and the medical quarantine unit at Noi Bai International Airport have reviewed and fully prepared temporary isolation areas, transportation plans, reception, and handling of disease outbreaks according to professional procedures. The Hanoi Department of Health is also strengthening close monitoring of the health of passengers entering and transiting, especially from Congo and Uganda, at Noi Bai International Airport. The Hanoi CDC is coordinating the collection of information, contact tracing, health monitoring, and training of disease control personnel.

Meanwhile, in Quang Ninh, the health quarantine teams at the Bac Luan 1 and Bac Luan 2 bridges of the Mong Cai International Border Gate have activated the highest level of surveillance, with strict temperature checks being carried out for all passengers entering Vietnam from abroad.

Enhance testing capacity

According to Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health), the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City currently have sufficient equipment, personnel, and biosafety level III laboratories to perform molecular biological testing (Realtime PCR) and gene sequencing for the definitive diagnosis of Ebola virus. Both units have ordered specific diagnostic reagents according to WHO guidelines and expect them to arrive in Vietnam soon.

THANH AN - NATIONAL DAY

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tong-luc-ngan-dich-ebola-post855095.html