Efforts made to prevent monkeypox from spreading

Illustrative image (Reuters/VNA)

Dak Lak (VNA) – The General Department
of Preventive Medicine under the on November 3 sent a
document to the Health Department of the Central Highlands province of ,
asking it to step up monkeypox prevention and control.

The request was made after a 59-year-old man in
Dak Lak, who had earlier travelled to South Africa for tourism purpose, has developed symptoms suspected
to be monkeypox’s after returning home.

In the document, the local health department was urged
to take samples of the suspected case and send them to Institutes of Hygiene
and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes for testing.

The department needs to trace close contacts of the
man, maintain health monitoring and deal with disease clusters (if any) in a
timely manner to prevent the disease from spreading, according to the document.

The department is asked to enhance supervisions at
border gates and medical facilities, provide training for health workers, review
response scenarios, make preparations in terms of drugs, equipment, personnel
and financing, and intensify the communication work.

The above-said man traveled to South Africa as a
tourist on October 19, and returned to Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport on
October 26 after transiting in Singapore, the provincial Department of Health
said.

Between October 26 and November 1, the man had
contacts with his family members and others.

After such symptoms as joint pain and rashes began
to show up on November 1, he isolated himself at home. His close contacts have
shown no abnormal signs.

If the test returns positive, the man would be
Vietnam’s third case. The first two cases were women returning from
Dubai who have recovered, posing no risk of community transmission./.