Health ministry tightens control over hand-foot-mouth disease
The Ministry of Health has asked local authorities and hospitals nationwide to strengthen preventive measures to control the spread of hand-foot-mouth disease.
Babies with hand-food-mouth disease are treated at HCM City’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health hasasked local authorities and hospitals nationwide to strengthen preventivemeasures to control the spread of hand-foot-mouth disease.
In the first nine months of this year, over53,500 infections were reported nationwide, and nearly 25,900 victims werehospitalised, six of whom died in five cities and provinces in the south.
Deputy Director of the Health Ministry’sPreventive Medicine Department Dang Quang Tan said that compared with the sameperiod last year, the number of infections had dropped by 25 percent and thenumber of hospitalised patients had fallen 20 percent.
Hanoi, Da Nang and localities in the southincluding Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Dong Thap and Long An haveseen sharp increases in the last few weeks.
The disease tends to spread quickly as students returnfor the new school year, he said, adding that there was no vaccine for thedisease.
The Health Ministry asked local healthdepartments to work closely with education departments and schools to spreadthe word about disease prevention and control, especially in kindergartens andpreschools.
Schools have been instructed to provide soap inbathrooms and ensure students wash their hands.
In Vietnam, the disease occurs throughout theyear, but the peak season is from March until May and September to December.Children can get hand-foot-mouth disease at all ages but children below threeyears old are more susceptible.
The disease is usually a short mild illness, butin some cases patients can experience complications such as encephalitis,meningitis, myocarditis and acute pneumochysis, which can cause death if notproperly treated.
Last year, over 100,000 hand-foot-mouth diseasecases were detected, of which one death was reported.-VNA
The prevention and treatment of winter-spring diseases should be implemented effectively and synchronically, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said at a teleconference on January 4.
Students face several diseases at the beginning of the new school year, such as dengue fever, hand-foot-mouth disease, measles and flu, so epidemic prevention efforts should be strengthened, health experts warned.
Citizens of Hoang Van Thu commune of Hanoi’s outlying district of Chuong My were provided with free health check-ups and medicine on August 16, as the area had been submerged by floodwater for three weeks.
Hanoi has reported 955 cases of dengue fever in 261 communes, wards and towns across its 30 districts from the outset of the year, a year-on-year decrease of 96.8 percent.
Hospitals in the southern region have admitted many patients diagnosed with hand-foot-mouth disease, measles or upper respiratory infections as the peak season for contagious diseases has arrived.
Despite storm-related disruptions and flight delays, the organs were successfully transported via a combination of air and ground travel. All patients are currently stable and recovering well.
The patient, Tieu Viet But, born in 1970 and residing in Binh Tri commune, Binh Son district, the central province of Quang Ngai, was working aboard fishing vessel Qng – 95657TS when the incident occurred at 7:00 am.
All drugs entering hospitals must have a clear origin, so counterfeit drugs are only in the market, not in hospital, affirmed Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
To achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, Vietnam is prioritising the integration of AI and digital tools into the training of future doctors, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Dean of Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi.
Health experts called for collective disease prevention and integrated solutions to achieve zero dengue deaths in the country at an online talk show on June 14.
The PM called for closer, broader, and more effective cooperation with Vietnamese partners, guided by the principles of mutual benefit, joint efforts, shared outcomes, and common development, including promoting stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with businesses.
Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
Leading Vietnamese companies specialising in respiratory and dermatological treatments, traditional medicine, immune support supplements, and functional foods will have an opportunity to connect with international distributors and secure export deals.
The project aimed to enable early detection and reduce the risk of dangerous complications, targeting patients with chronic diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and metabolic disorders.
A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND (4.14 billion USD) annually – equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
Medical screenings and surgical interventions for children with disabilities are being carried out at health centers across Dien Bien. So far this year, 242 children have been identified for diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and the provision of assistive devices.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Despite the ongoing global circulation and unpredictable developments of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn’t issued new warnings about COVID-19, said the Ministry of Health.
Babies with hand-food-mouth disease are treated at HCM City’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases. (Photo: VNA) 
