Department of preventive healthcare's request regarding proactive enhancement of diphtheria prevention and control work in Vietnam

Department of preventive healthcare's request regarding proactive enhancement of diphtheria prevention and control work in Vietnam (Image from the internet)

July 8, 2024, the Department of preventive healthcare issued Official Dispatch 614/DP-DT on proactively enhancing diphtheria prevention and control work.

Department of preventive healthcare's request regarding proactive enhancement of diphtheria prevention and control work in Vietnam

According to information from the communicable disease surveillance system, a case of death due to diphtheria has been recorded in Ky Son District, Nghe An Province, and a case of illness in Hiep Hoa District, Bac Giang Province, closely related to the previously mentioned death case. To proactively enhance diphtheria prevention and control efforts, preventing prolonged and widespread outbreaks, the Department of preventive healthcare respectfully requests the Directors of the Health Departments of Nghe An and Bac Giang Provinces to urgently direct relevant units and localities to implement the following actions:

- Increase the review of cases in close contact with diphtheria patients; closely monitor and promptly detect suspected cases in epidemic areas and communities, collect specimens for testing to promptly confirm cases, implement comprehensive outbreak control measures, and conduct investigations and preventive antibiotic treatments for all close contacts according to Ministry of Health guidelines.

- Ensure effective reception, emergency treatment, patient flow management, and stratified treatment; establish designated areas for examination, isolation, treatment, and emergency care of patients to minimize fatalities; rigorously adhere to infection control and cross-infection prevention protocols in healthcare facilities, and limit unnecessary patient transfers to higher-level hospitals.

- Review and enumerate individuals who have not been vaccinated or have not completed the diphtheria vaccination series in all communes and wards, and organize supplementary and catch-up vaccinations, especially in areas with circulating diphtheria and low vaccination rates.

- Intensify public education activities about diphtheria, prevention measures so that the public can proactively adopt prevention measures and closely cooperate with health units during the treatment process. Organize close monitoring of the health of children and students in educational institutions; regularly sanitize and ventilate classrooms, promptly notify health facilities upon detecting suspected cases for isolation and prompt handling to prevent epidemic outbreaks.

- Review and ensure logistics for vaccines, preventive antibiotic treatments, antitoxins, chemicals, etc., to effectively carry out epidemic prevention tasks; report to the provincial People’s Committee for budget allocation and mobilization of resources to support logistics for epidemic prevention. If necessary, propose requests for diphtheria antitoxin to the Ministry of Health (Department of Planning and Finance) for allocation, management, and usage according to regulations. Mobilize human resources to support epidemic areas, deploy rapid response teams and mobile emergency teams to assist localities in conducting prevention and control measures.

- Organize training sessions for preventive healthcare personnel and treatment staff on guidelines for surveillance, epidemic prevention, diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, patient care, infection control, and conduct inspection, supervision, and guidance at critical hotspots and areas at risk of epidemic outbreaks, supporting localities in epidemic prevention and control.

More details can be found in Official Dispatch 614/DP-DT dated July 8, 2024.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE