Health Ministry urges control of Zika virus spread
The Health Ministry had a working session with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on addressing the spread of Zika virus on April 5 in the city.
Hanoi (VNA) –൩ The Health Ministry had a working session with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on addressing the spread of Zika virus on April 5 in the city.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien called on local residents to stay calm and join their hands with the Ministry to kill mosquitoes in their neighbourhood.
Director of the municipal Health Department Nguyen Tan Binh said the locality had plans in place to tackle the spread of the virus in terms of human resources, medicines and facilities.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem instructed the Department of Information and Communication to work with the press on related publicity to avoid making local residents panic, while the Health Department and localities are urged to take measures to prevent and fight the disease.
The same day, a delegation from the Ministry, led by Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long also worked with the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on preventing and controlling Zika virus infection.
Deputy Minister Long urged local authorities to take drastic actions to kill mosqutoes, such as spraying chemicals on a large scale and taking sample tests in the community.
He also advised local pregnant women to use their discretion if considering travelling to the infected areas.
The Ministry also held an urgent meeting with health experts to compile a guideline to ensure safety in blood transfusions to prevent Zika virus spread following the discovery of two people who have contracted the virus.
The guideline notes that safety must be ensured in blood transfusions for pregnant women, particularly among those who are in the first three month of pregnancy. They should be given screened or processed blood which has been stored for at least 14 days before being used.
Additionally, blood donated by those who have tested positive for Zika virus, or have developed Zika-related symptoms should be kept for at least 28 days.
The experts also discussed ways to facilitate communication with blood donors so they can inform the transfusion services if they suspect Zika-like symptoms within 14 days after giving a donation.
The Ministry of Health announced two patients, one in Ho Chi Minh City and the other in Khanh Hoa province, have tested positive for Zika virus on April 5.
Some 61 countries and territories have recorded Zika cases. Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also causes dengue fever.
The virus possibly has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads, and in the vast majority of cases, brain damage.
Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat the disease.-VNA
No mosquito-borne Zika virus case has been reported within Vietnam so far this year, as samples collected are confirmed by labs as negative for the virus.
Hanoi’s Health Department held a meeting on March 31 to mobilise all available resources as precautions for a Zika outbreak, after the Ministry of Health raised the Zika virus emergency level to 2.
Two patients, one in HCM City and the other in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, have tested positive for Zika virus, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine Tran Dac Phu
Vietnam’s health authorities are confident that they have plans in place to cope with all possible scenarios of a Zika virus epidemic, following the discovery of the first two patients.
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.
The working session (Source: congan.com.vn)
