The Ebola epidemic is developing complicatedly in some African countries, causing many countries to raise their vigilance. Although Vietnam has not recorded any cases, the Ministry of Health has activated a series of surveillance measures at border gates, hospitals and prepared testing and treatment capabilities to respond to the risk of epidemic intrusion.
Mr. Vo Hai Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health) - said that according to information from the World Health Organization, as of May 22, Congo recorded about 750 cases of Ebola, including 177 deaths. Uganda has also seen cases related to the source of infection from Congo.
This is a very dangerous epidemic with a high mortality rate. WHO has declared a global emergency, but that does not mean the epidemic has spread worldwide," Mr. Son said.
According to the leader of the Department of Disease Prevention, the risk of Ebola entering Vietnam is currently low, but cannot be subjective due to increasing international trade and tourism activities. Carriers of the disease can move through many countries before entering Vietnam.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Health has continuously met with WHO, US CDC, research institutes, hospitals and epidemiologists to assess risks and update response scenarios.
Currently, the health sector focuses on monitoring at international border gates and the medical examination and treatment system to detect suspected cases early. At the same time, the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology are required to always have testing capacity ready to promptly diagnose if a case appears.
The Ministry of Health is also reviewing and updating professional guidelines issued from 2014 according to new recommendations from WHO, and at the same time strengthening coordination with immigration forces to monitor people coming from epidemic areas.
According to Mr. Vo Hai Son, Ebola is a dangerous infectious disease but the mechanism of spread is completely different from COVID-19. The virus mainly transmits through direct contact with blood, secretions or deceased patients, not easily transmitted through the respiratory tract in the community like COVID-19.
People should not panic but absolutely not be subjective," Mr. Son emphasized.
The Ministry of Health recommends that people, especially people coming and going from epidemic areas, need to strictly implement disease prevention measures such as wearing masks, maintaining personal hygiene, washing hands regularly, and limiting contact with people suspected of having the disease or suspected viral secretions.
Cases returning from epidemic areas, if symptoms such as fever, fatigue, pain or abnormal health signs appear, should immediately go to a medical facility and declare travel history for timely monitoring and handling.
The health sector also reminds people to only update information from official sources such as the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health to avoid confusion before false rumors related to the Ebola epidemic.
