The Ministry of Health has broadcasted an urgent appeal to all health organizations and local health departments, demanding an amplified effort in prevention and control methods for Ebola. The directive comes in the wake of rising concerns about the potent potential for the severe acute infectious disease to infiltrate the country’s borders. Attention is being drawn to the current outbreaks escalating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, cementing the necessity for immediate precautionary measures.
Medical facilities are now instructed to implement consistent screening processes, particularly for individuals originating from countries identified as experiencing outbreaks in the past 21 days. The directive stresses upon tightening existing infection control measures and prompt triaging as well as isolation of any cases that are either suspected or confirmed.
In light of the international scenario, the Ministry maintains the importance of continuous monitoring and comprehensible public communication, with an aim to avert panic and endorse preventive practices. It’s critical that health facilities identify potential cases swiftly, ensure their isolation, and coordinate with preventive units for subsequent testing, diagnosis, as well as overall treatment in line with guidelines issued by the Ministry.
The directive further dictates the hospitals to reassess their repository of protective equipment, validate isolation capacity, and advance their readiness for diagnosis and treatment. Ebola’s lethal nature, causing severe illness often coupled with hemorrhagic symptoms and consequential multi-organ failure, potentially leading to a mortality rate of up to 90%, demands the need for such precursors. The disease transmission takes place through direct bodily contact or from infected items.
On an international perspective, there were 85 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as at May 21, inclusive of two cases located in Uganda which resulted in 10 confirmed deaths, as confirmed by Angela Pratt, The World Health Organization’s representative in Vietnam. Suspected cases and deaths are unfortunately not fully captured due to detection delays, suggesting a larger scale of the outbreak. The risk level for the outbreak is presently regarded as very high at national level for the afflicted countries, high for the African continent, but nonetheless low at the global scale, including for Vietnam. The thrusted focus is on expediting surveillance rates, enhancing infection prevention and magnifying isolation as well as treatment capacity.
Source: https://asianews.network/vietnam-ramps-up-surveillance-triage-for-suspected-ebola-cases/