hat are the guidelines for testing Influenza A? What are the symptoms of Influenza A? What are the standards for school medical staff in Vietnam?

What are the guidelines for testing Influenza A? What are the symptoms of Influenza A?

Influenza A is an acute respiratory infection caused by seasonal flu viruses. The common Influenza A virus strains include A/H5N1, A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and A/H7N9, with strains A/H7N9 and A/H5N1 being noteworthy.

When experiencing symptoms of Influenza A, patients should promptly test for Influenza A. The symptoms include persistent high fever, cough, throat swelling and pain, prolonged fatigue, headache and body aches, runny nose, congestion, nausea, abdominal pain...

So, how do you test for Influenza A? Currently, there are several methods to test for Influenza A as follows:

1. Real-time RT-PCR test:

- High specificity and sensitivity.

- Usage: Nasopharyngeal swabs, throat swabs, bronchial fluids.

- Time for results: Quick and accurate for complex cases or those with weak immunity.

2. Rapid antigen test:

- Quick results (10 – 15 minutes).

- Low cost, but not very accurate.

- Negative results should be combined with other methods for accurate diagnosis.

3. Immunofluorescence:

- Lower specificity and sensitivity than RT-PCR.

- Time for results: a few hours.

- Performance depends on sample quality and technician skill.

4. Virus isolation test:

- High accuracy (over 95%).

- Useful in research and virus monitoring.

- Samples should be collected within 5 days from the onset of symptoms.

5. Serological test:

- Not recommended for detecting influenza viruses.

- Useful for retrospective diagnosis and research.

As soon as there are suspected symptoms of Influenza A, the patient should visit healthcare facilities for an Influenza A test and receive medical treatment.

What are the guidelines for testing Influenza A? What are the symptoms of Influenza A? What are the standards for school medical staff in Vietnam? (Image from Internet)

What are the standards for school medical staff in Vietnam?

Under Clause 2, Article 8 of the Joint Circular 13/2016/TTLT-BYT-BGDDT, school medical staff must meet the following standards:

- Every medical staff shall acquire at least an associate degree in physician assistant. According to the reality, every school shall hire medical staff who meet the qualifications requirement or sign contract for school health with general medical stations or medical examination and treatment facilities;

- Medical staff shall regularly attend health seminars, or training courses held by health and education authorities;

- Medical staff shall consult school boards about the implementation of Articles 9 and 10 and other tasks assigned by the school board.

What is the time for submitting periodic reports on healthcare affairs by schools in Vietnam?

Under Clause 1, Article 11 of the Joint Circular 13/2016/TTLT-BYT-BGDDT, the provisions are as follows:

School health reporting and assessment

1. Periodic and irregular reports

a) Submit annual reports using the form in Annex 02 herewith to the medical station of the commune, Division of Education and Training and Department of Education and Training by May 10 of every academic year.

b) Submit irregular reports at request of superior authorities.

2. Assessment of healthcare activities in schools

Every school shall carry out self-assessment of school health performance by the end of academic year using the form 03 in the Annex herewith (for preschool education institutions) or the form in the Annex 04 herewith (for primary schools; lower secondary schools, high schools, combined schools and specialty schools).

Thus, schools must submit periodic reports on healthcare affairs in the academic year no later than May 30.