On March 2, 2023, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) organized a training session on monitoring activities to prevent and control influenza A (H5N1). The training course was attended by the Pasteur Institute, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Ho Chi Minh City, the Center for Disease Control, and medical staff from District Health Centers, Thu Duc City.

The training course is organized to strengthen surveillance activities to detect early suspected cases in the community, thereby proactively responding and handling the epidemic in a timely manner to prevent it from spreading in the community. Influenza A (H5N1) is a highly virulent virus, and those infected have a very high risk of death. This is a threat no less than COVID-19. When a patient is infected with H5N1, respiratory failure progresses very quickly, with a high mortality rate despite intensive treatment. Therefore, early detection to prevent the spread of the disease to the community is very important.

The training course provided necessary knowledge such as: signs to recognize poultry flocks infected with influenza, epidemiology of influenza A (H5N1) as well as instructions on indicators to monitor in the community and handling procedures if an outbreak of avian influenza occurs in Ho Chi Minh City. The training course was broadcast online on the HCDC Youtube channel so that medical staff can access more and review when needed. This is also one of the important contents in the preparation work to proactively prevent influenza A (H5N1) in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the dispatch 258/CD-BYT dated February 27, 2023 signed by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong - Deputy Minister of Health , it was stated that, according to the announcement from the Cambodian Ministry of Health, from February 22, 2023, Cambodia recorded 02 cases of influenza A (H5N1) infection in Prey Veng province, including 01 death. These are the latest human cases of influenza A (H5N1) in Cambodia since 2014. It is worth noting that Prey Veng province has a border with Vietnam and is located near the 3 provinces of Tay Ninh, Long An, and Dong Thap. These provinces have poultry farming activities, so the intrusion of influenza A (H5N1) is possible.

In Vietnam, the current season is in a transitional period, which is favorable for the development of avian influenza. At the same time, festivals after Tet continue to be held, which may increase the transportation and trading of poultry. This poses a potential risk of avian influenza infection and, more dangerously, infection from poultry to humans./.

PV