A cartridge showing a positive test result for . (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry
of Health’s on January 16 asked localities nationwide
to keep a close watch on the disease situation in the face of complex
developments of , especially respiratory ones, around the
world.
In December 2023, nearly 10,000
deaths from COVID-19 were reported worldwide while the number of hospitalised cases
surged 42% from the previous month. New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have
continuously changed, and sub-variant JN.1 is spreading rapidly around the
globe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The US, China, and some European
countries have recorded the re-emergence of COVID-19 infections as well as the transmission
of other respiratory illnesses like seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus.
In Vietnam, the northern region is
now in the transitional period between winter and spring, when cold and dry weather
is alternated with wet weather, triggering infectious diseases, especially
respiratory ones. Meanwhile, the numbers of cases suffering from other
infectious diseases like dengue fever, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and some
others which have already had vaccines have also been on the rise in many
places, the department pointed out.
It
warned that the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays and spring festive season,
when trading and travel demand surges, along with abnormal weather changes are
favourable conditions for diseases to spread, particularly among children with
weak immunity and the elderly with comorbidities, who are more vulnerable to
infectious diseases.
Given
this, the Department of Preventive Medicine asked provincial-level departments
of health to propose their provinces and cities’ administrations soon issue
plans on infectious disease prevention and control for 2024. They were also
told to engage all local sectors and socio-political organisations in the work,
especially during Tet.
In
particular, local health departments were demanded to order grassroots health
units like disease control centres and preventive medicine bodies keep a close
watch on the disease situation and the increase in infections of respiratory illnesses
and severe cases of viral pneumonia.
They need to maintain constant
monitoring to detect infections early so as to make timely response, control
transmission, and minimise severe cases and deaths, the Department of
Preventive Medicine added, requesting the expanded programme on immunisation be
properly maintained./.
Source: VietnamPlus
