Health ministry attempts to calm flu fears

Children are given flu treatment at the Hanoi-based Hospital of Pediatrics. (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The
has announced there are no new
viruses or s in Vietnam.

The ministry has not recorded
any abnormal infection so far, it said.

The ministry made the statement
after the local press reported a sudden spike of s hospitalised in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City.

Many city dwellers have rushed
to buy Tamiflu – an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A
and influenza B – for treatment, leading to rocketing prices of the medicine
recently.

According to the ministry’s
2019 data, as of early December, more than 408,900 people have been infected
with the influenza virus, causing 10 deaths.

This number was 15 percent
lower than in the same period of last year and much lower than the annual
average. Most of those infected caught influenza A (H1N1) or influenza B.

On average, there are more than
800,000 recorded flu infections annually.

In the past three weeks, local
press reported the number of people checking in to central hospitals for
treatment had seen a sharp increase. More than 3,060 people had come for flu
treatment at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases while the Hospital of
Pediatrics was admitting 100-120 children daily.

Tamiflu 75mg prices had
increased four or five times higher from regulated levels. The tablet had been
sold for as much as 220,000 VND (9.1 USD) while the regulated price was only 45,000
VND (1.8 USD). Many pharmacies announced they ran out of the drug.

Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the
ministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, said Tamiflu helped
treat symptoms caused by the flu virus, but there were many ways to prevent the
virus.

Khue said flu cases would
likely increase in the next few days due to the impacts of cold, humid weather.

He suggested parents get their
children vaccinated yearly and maintain good hygiene to prevent the spread of
the virus.

People should maintain personal
hygiene, keep their body warm and go to hospitals or health clinics for
examination and treatment if they have symptoms of flu, such as sneezing,
coughing and high fever./.