Previously, on May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the outbreak of Ebola virus Bundibugyo in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as an international public health emergency.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that although WHO has not recommended restricting travel or international trade with epidemic-stricken countries, the city still requires preventive health units not to be subjective or negligent in epidemic prevention and control work.
Accordingly, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) continues to tighten surveillance at border gates by monitoring abnormal health manifestations of inbound people, carefully exploiting epidemiological factors, travel and accommodation history. At the same time, the health sector coordinates with aviation, maritime and international medical quarantine forces to detect suspected cases early.
Safe treatment, isolation and transportation procedures for suspected cases are also being prepared. According to the Department of Health, early detection of suspected cases is a key factor in epidemic control at border gates today.
The Ho Chi Minh City health sector also maintains training for medical examination and treatment facilities on infection control, the use of personal protective equipment and procedures for handling suspected infections to be ready to respond if epidemics invade.
According to WHO recommendations, people closely exposed to Ebola cases need to be monitored for health for 21 days and restrict international travel during this time. WHO also does not recommend closing borders or deploying widespread entry screening at airports outside the area directly affected by the epidemic.
