[health-vn] Health ministry reinforces inspection as cholera outbreak lingers

[Vern Weitzel]

http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=49043

Last Updated: Thursday, May 21, 2009 12:16:30 Vietnam (GMT+07)

Health ministry reinforces inspection as cholera outbreak lingers
	
Doctors examine patients with symptoms of acute diarrhea in the northern 
province of Bac Ninh.	The Ministry of Health Wednesday set up five inspection 
teams to take preventive measures and fight against the cholera outbreak in 
northern and north-central provinces that has spread to 16 cities and provinces.
The latest case recorded Wednesday was of Vu Duy Sam, a 41-year-old fisherman of 
Nghe An Province’s Dien Chau District, who tested positive for cholera at the 
provincial Center for Preventive Health.

He is reported to have eaten rice with fish and pickles before suffering acute 
diarrhea and being admitted to the district hospital.

Earlier Wednesday, Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the Bureau for Preventive Health, 
confirmed cholera cases in Ha Tinh and Yen Bai provinces. So far, 16 cities and 
provinces in northern and north-central regions have recorded patients with the 
disease.

Health officials also found cholera bacteria in a family well of a cholera 
patient in Hai Duong Province, he said.

He said the bacteria were the same strain that caused previous outbreaks but had 
higher toxicity.

Since the first case of cholera was found in mid-April in Hanoi, a total of 56 
cases have been reported in the two regions, according to the National Institute 
of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Hygiene problem

Deputy Minister of Health Trinh Quang Huan on Wednesday told Vietnam News Agency 
that cholera outbreaks were caused by low awareness of the disease among residents.

Hanoi and Hai Phong, which have faced cholera outbreaks recently, have seen a 
major migration of laborers from other provinces, a large number of whom live in 
unhygienic conditions.

This has caused outbreaks of acute diarrhea [including cholera cases], he said.
Huan noted that the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology had warned 
about cholera bacteria in raw vegetables, open water bodies and in digestive 
systems of dogs. He blamed the unhygiene practice among many farmers who use 
human excrement as fertilizer for the outbreak.

Awareness of hygiene as well as preventive measures against acute diarrhea have 
been insufficient, he said, adding that the use of human excrement as fertilizer 
would easily facilitate the spread of cholera bacteria.

Acute diarrhea caused by cholera bacteria have developed in a complicated way 
and the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the disease in many 
African and Asian countries in recent years, he said.

Vietnam has strongly integrated with the world and the movement of people has 
also created conditions for the spread of infectious diseases, including 
cholera, he added.

Enforcing prevention

The Ministry of Health has instructed leaders of all cities and provinces to 
enforce preventive measures against cholera, which could easily spread in the 
summer time.

“It is the heavy responsibility of the healthcare system to tackle infectious 
diseases,” Huan said.

The government has instructed the entire healthcare system to enforce preventive 
measures against cholera as well as other diseases including influenza A (H1N1) 
and dengue fever.

Besides the five inspection teams, the Ministry of Health has also set up three 
others, comprising officials from health departments and other agencies to 
inspect localities highly prone to cholera outbreaks.

Steering committees to tackle the epidemic have also been formed at provincial, 
district and communal levels. They have been asked to increase food hygiene and 
safety inspections.

Huan also confirmed there has thus far been no case of cholera caused by 
contaminated water.

However, he said there may be more cholera patients in other provinces and 
called for greater hygiene awareness and practice among residents.
Source: TN, VNA


CITIES AND PROVINCES WITH CHOLERA PATIENTS

The cities of Hanoi and Hai Phong; and the provinces of Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nam 
Dinh, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh, Thai Binh, Hung Yen, 
Vinh Phuc, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Yen Bai.