Illustrative image (Source: VNA) (VNA) – The northern
province of Quang Ninh is intensifying measures to prevent A/H7N9 avian flu from entering through border gates as it shares about 118km border line with China, which
is tackling a new A/H7N9 outbreak.
Deputy Director of the provincial Health
Department Nguyen Tien Hung said on February 21 that the most important task at
present is using temperature measuring machines and spraying chemical
disinfection at the gates.
Any infections found must be quarantined and
even not allowed to enter the locality (in case of foreign visitors), he added.
Vietnam has so far recorded no infections of
human A/H7N9 avian flu, however, the country is promoting efforts to prevent
the entry of the virus, which caused a new outbreak in neighbouring China.
According to the Preventive Medicine Department
under the Ministry of Public Health, the long borderline shared with China and
busy cross-border trade activities between the two countries pose a high risk
of H7N9 virus to be transmitted into Vietnam.
The World Health Organisation () said that
has reported 340 human A/H7N9 cases in 13 provinces and cities
nationwide so far this year. Almost the infected cases had a history of
exposure to live poultry in markets or areas polluted by infected poultry.
The number of human A/H7N9 cases have
continually increased in China since October last year, causing the fifth
outbreak in the country since 2013, the WHO reported.
To proactively prevent the disease, the
Vietnamese Ministry of Health recommended people to not use poultry or poultry
products with unknown origins, and ensure food hygiene.
They were told to immediately notify local authorities
and veterinary units if they detected any sick or dead poultry.
People should visit doctors to be counselled,
examined and receive treatment if they have flu-like symptoms, such as fever,
cough, chest pain or breathing difficulty, the ministry said.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
