International tourists have their temperatures checked before entering Vietnam at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City. (Photo courtesy of the International Health Quarantine Centre of HCM City)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) –
The said it was developing
and preparing for worst-case scenarios following an outbreak of
pneumonia in China.
Although no cases of the virus have been detected in Vietnam so far, there was
a high risk that the coronavirus would enter the country due to growing numbers
of people travelling for the Lunar New Year, it said.
The centre, which comes under the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine
Department, said it would work closely with the World Health Organisation and
international health organisations to monitor the development of the new strain
of coronavirus.
Inspections at border gates would be enhanced, including monitoring the health
of all passengers travelling to and from Wuhan in central China.
Le Tan Phung, deputy director of Khanh Hoa province’s Department of Health,
told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the department, in cooperation
with the Vietnam Public Health Emergency Operation Centre and Cam Ranh
International Airport, had increased screenings of arrivals at the airport.
Five remote body temperature scanners have been installed to monitor tourists,
and a separate counter has been set up for those arriving from Wuhan.
Khanh Hoa province is a popular destination among Chinese tourists. It led the
way by welcoming two million Chinese tourists in the first nine months of last
year, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimated.
The Ministry of Health on January 12 released advice for people on how to
protect themselves from the by warning them to limit contact with people
suffering from acute respiratory infections.
If necessary, people should wear a surgical mask and keep their distance.
People were also advised to keep warm, maintain personal hygiene, wash their
hands with soap and gargle with antiseptic mouthwash to prevent pneumonia, the
ministry said.
The ministry also recommended people cover their mouths and noses when coughing
or sneezing, preferably with a cloth or handkerchief, to reduce the spread of
respiratory secretions, as well as limit close contact with animals or
wildlife.
The move came after the ministry said that Wuhan – the capital of Hubei
Province – had admitted 59 people to hospital with an unidentified form of
pneumonia, including one fatality, as of January 10.
One of Wuhan’s largest meat and seafood markets was pinpointed as the centre of
the outbreak and was shut down on January 1. The man who died was a customer
there.
All cases have been recorded in Wuhan. There is no clear evidence of
human-to-human transmission so far and there have been no recorded cases of
medical workers falling ill.
The ministry also said that people who had returned from Wuhan, or had close
contact with a person with pneumonia, in the city in the last 14 days should
visit the nearest health centre for examination and treatment if they showed
signs of fever, coughing or shortness of breath./.
Source: VietnamPlus
