Infectious diseases in Vietnam announced by Ministry of Health? Is the prevention and control plan effective?
Infectious diseases in Vietnam announced by Ministry of Health?
On February 2, 2024, the Ministry of Health issued Decision 266/QD-BYT 2024 along with Vietnam's infectious disease prevention and control plan in 2024.
Specifically, in Vietnam's infectious disease prevention and control plan in 2024, the Ministry of Health has identified the infectious diseases in Vietnam and assessed the epidemic prevention and control work in 2023, as well as the plan for 2024.
In particular, based on subsection 2 of Section I of the first part of Vietnam's infectious disease prevention and control plan in 2024, issued together with Decision 266/QD-BYT 2024, the Ministry of Health has identified the following infectious disease in Vietnam:
Infectious diseases | Situation |
COVID-19 | In 2023, the country recorded over 99,000 cases and 20 deaths from COVID-19, a decrease of 14.5 times compared to 2021 and 82.4 times compared to 2022. The mortality rate was 0.02%, significantly lower than 2021 (1.86%) and 2022 (0.11%). |
Dengue Fever | In 2023, the country reported over 172,000 cases and 43 deaths from dengue fever. Compared to 2022 (369,483/151), the number of cases decreased by 53.8% and the number of deaths decreased by 72.4% (a decrease of 108 cases). The provinces and cities with the highest number of cases were Hanoi (36,795), Ho Chi Minh City (17,257), Gia Lai (6,532), Dong Nai (5,508), Binh Duong (5,092), Dak Lak (4,972), Binh Thuan (4,853), An Giang (4,840), Lam Dong (4,832), and Da Nang (4,604). |
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) | In 2023, the country recorded nearly 181,000 cases and 31 deaths from hand, foot, and mouth disease. Compared to 2022 (67,586/3), the number of cases increased by 2.7 times and the number of deaths increased by 28 cases. The provinces and cities with the highest number of cases were Ho Chi Minh City (50,161), Dong Nai (10,968), An Giang (9,945), Binh Duong (9,021), Tien Giang (8,347), Dong Thap (7,142), Long An (3,913), Can Tho (5,328), Khanh Hoa (4,822), and Ca Mau (4,574). |
Monkeypox | Until the end of 2023, the country recorded 137 cases (2 cases in 2022) and 6 deaths from Monkeypox. All cases and deaths were reported in the southern region, mainly in Ho Chi Minh City. |
Diphtheria | In 2023, the country recorded 57 cases and 7 deaths, occurring locally in some mountainous areas in the North. |
Measles | In 2023, the country recorded 401 cases of suspected measles, with no reported deaths. Compared to 2022, the number of cases increased by 9.6%. |
Malaria | In 2023, the country recorded 448 cases and 2 deaths from malaria. Compared to 2022, the number of malaria cases decreased by 1.5%. |
Rabies | In 2023, the country recorded 82 deaths from rabies, an increase of 12 cases compared to 2022. The provinces and cities with the highest number of deaths were Gia Lai (14), Nghe An (7), Binh Phuoc (7), Dien Bien (6), and Ben Tre (5). |
Seasonal Influenza | In 2023, the country recorded 289,066 cases and 1 death from seasonal influenza, a decrease of 0.6% compared to 2022. The circulating strains of influenza included A(H3N2), A(H1N1), and influenza B. |
Other infectious diseases | The situation was stable and generally under control. In 2023, there were no reported cases of group A infectious diseases such as plague, avian influenza A(H5N1), avian influenza A(H7N9), MERS-CoV, Ebola, etc., within the country. |
Infectious diseases in Vietnam announced by Ministry of Health? Is the prevention and control plan effective?
What are the results of preventing and controlling infectious diseases in 2023 in Vietnam?
Based on Section II of Part I of Vietnam's infectious disease prevention and control plan in 2024, issued in conjunction with Decision 266/QD-BYT 2024 by the Ministry of Health, the following observations and evaluations were made regarding the work of preventing and controlling infectious diseases in 2023:
The situation of infectious diseases in 2023 was controlled and generally achieved the overall objective of minimizing the incidence and mortality rates.
- COVID-19 has officially transitioned to Group-B infectious diseases, making a significant contribution to the recovery of the severely affected economy during the pandemic.
- The number of cases and deaths from dengue fever decreased significantly compared to 2022.
- HFMD saw an increase in the number of cases compared to 2022, but it has been stably controlled and decreased since October 2023.
- Diphtheria only occurred locally in some mountainous areas in the North.
- Additionally, there were no reported cases of Group-A infectious diseases such as plague, avian influenza A(H5N1), avian influenza A(H7N9), MERS-CoV, Ebola, etc.
Overall, the results of preventing and controlling infectious diseases in 2023 were mostly positive and yielded good outcomes. However, there are still certain types of diseases, such as hand, foot, and mouth disease and rabies, where the prevention and control efforts did not meet the desired targets. Stronger and more effective plans are needed to address these diseases in 2023.
For specific details on the results of preventing and controlling infectious diseases in 2023, please refer to the detailed report in the link provided. Here
What are the regulations on mobilization and dispatch of persons in response to group-A infectious diseases in Vietnam?
According to Article 39 of Circular 32/2023/TT-BYT, in case the unit or locality's human resources do not meet the requirements for medical examination and treatment in the event of a natural disaster, calamity, group A infectious disease, or state emergency, in addition to the mobilization and dispatch of professionals in line with the circumstance as per the law, competent authorities and persons may mobilize and dispatch the following persons to participate in medical examination and treatment, including testing, sample collection, vaccination, first aid, and emergency care:
- Medical practitioners in Vietnam (including foreigners) are allowed to perform testing, vaccination, medical examination, and treatment, first aid, and emergency care outside the permitted scope of practices in their medical licenses;
- Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who have been licensed by foreign competent authorities to practice medical examination and treatment are allowed to perform testing, vaccination, first aid, emergency care and other activities at healthcare facilities established to perform or assign the performance of receiving patients, providing first aid, providing health care, and treating people infected with group A infectious diseases or patients in accidents, patients who need first aid, emergency care, and treatment in natural disasters, calamities, or state of emergency without a medical license issued by a competent agency of Vietnam;
- Students and trainees of schools in the health sector; people who are eligible for medical licenses but have not yet been granted medical licenses may participate in testing, vaccination, medical examination and treatment of group A infectious diseases, first aid, first aid, emergency care, and medical examination and treatment for people suffering from natural disasters, calamities, or state of emergency.
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