Proactively strengthen the prevention and control of Diphtheria in Vietnam according to Official Dispatch 1285

Proactively strengthen the prevention and control of Diphtheria in Vietnam according to Official Dispatch 1285​ (Image from the internet)

On November 25, 2024, the Department of Preventive Medicine of Vietnam issued Official Dispatch 1285/DP-DT regarding the proactive strengthening of Diphtheria prevention and control work.

Proactively strengthen the prevention and control of Diphtheria in Vietnam according to Official Dispatch 1285

To proactively handle diphtheria prevention and control to prevent the spread and outbreak of the disease, the Department of Preventive Medicine of Vietnam respectfully requests the Department of Health of Cao Bang Province and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to direct units, localities to urgently implement several actions as follows:

- Strengthen the review of close contact cases with diphtheria patients; conduct early detection of suspected cases in outbreaks and the community, promptly sample for testing to confirm cases, organize investigations, closely monitor, and provide prophylactic antibiotic treatment for all close contact cases, conduct disinfection, handle the outbreak environment, and implement thorough measures to manage outbreaks according to the Ministry of Health's guidance.

- Review cases that have not been vaccinated or are inadequately vaccinated against diphtheria in the area; organize supplementary and catch-up vaccinations, prioritizing outbreaks, nearby areas, and regions with low vaccination rates.

- Ensure the work of admission, emergency, patient triage, and treatment allocation to minimize deaths; strictly implement infection control, prevent cross-infection in healthcare facilities; require healthcare workers to fully implement personal protective measures to prevent infection during patient contact.

- Enhance communication about diphtheria so that citizens proactively implement prevention measures; closely monitor the health of children and students at schools; regularly clean, ventilate classrooms, and promptly report to health facilities when suspecting a case to address it thoroughly and prevent an outbreak.

- Review, ensure the logistics of vaccines, prophylactic antibiotics, antitoxins, chemicals, etc., to undertake epidemic prevention tasks; allocate funds and mobilize support resources to ensure logistics serving epidemic control. Mobilize manpower to support epidemic areas, dispatch mobile disease-control teams, and mobile emergency teams to assist localities in implementing epidemic prevention and control work.

- Organize training for healthcare staff on monitoring, epidemic prevention, diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, patient care, infection control, and organize inspection, supervision, and direction teams in outbreaks and areas at risk of epidemic outbreaks.

- Strictly implement prompt and complete reporting of disease cases, suspected cases, outbreaks on the Infectious Disease Surveillance Management System according to regulations in Circular 54/2015/TT-BYT dated December 28, 2015, of the Ministry of Health regarding information reporting and disease declaration guidelines for infectious diseases.

- Request the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to closely monitor the epidemic situation and dispatch working groups to direct, guide, and support localities in implementing epidemic prevention and control measures.

Official Dispatch 1285/DP-DT issued on November 25, 2024

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