The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has asked the aviationsector to closely supervise the development of Respiratory SyndromeCorona virus (MERS-CoV) to prevent the virus from entering Vietnam.
All aviation agencies have been requested to keep aclose eye on high-risk passengers, including tourists and those whowork in farms with camels from Middle Eastern countries, ensuring allsuspected MERS-CoV cases are detected in a timely fashion.
The sector should also increase communications among passengers andaviation staff on the virus and prevention methods, asked the CAAV,while coordinating with health quarantine agencies to observe all healthquarantine processes.
Foreign airlines were also informed of preventive measures against the virus.
In a meeting in Hanoi on June 2, Health Minister Nguyen Thi KimTien asked ministry bodies and other relevant ministries and sectors toimmediately implement preventive measures in line with directions fromthe ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Sheunderlined the need to launch communication campaigns calling on peopleto avoid travel to affected areas and raise public awareness of theimportance of regular hand-washing by soap and other hygiene practicesto prevent the spread of the disease.
Head of theMinistry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu saidthe health sector should work with all-level authorities to intensifymedical monitoring at border gates to promptly detect infections andapply medical declarations in entrance and exit areas.
It is necessary to put in place plans on receiving and treatingpatients and supervising affected cases to prevent the spread of thedisease in communities in case the worst scenario happens, he stressed.
The sector is required to update instructions andprofessional documents in the field and provide medical staff withtraining courses on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of MERS-CoV.
The same day, Hanoi’s Health Department had a meetingwith the municipal Steering Committee for preventing MERS-CoV to discussdisease prevention solutions.
Healthcarefacilities in the city were requested to take measures to classifypatients with symptoms of MERS-CoV to be separated for timely treatment.
Ho Chi Minh City has also rolled out measuresto control the virus in all local border gates and airports with aspecial focus on passengers coming to Vietnam from the Middle East andthe Republic of Korea (RoK).
According to thecity’s International Quarantine Service, the Tan Son NhatInternational Airport in the city handles seven flights from the RoKevery day with up to 1,200 passengers. Health declarations have notbeen implemented for passengers yet, however, the agency has preparedabout 50,000 health declarations and sufficient personnel for the workwhen instituted.
In the northern mountainousprovince of Lang Son, bordering China - where the virus has beendetected, local border gates have also tightened health check proceduresto discover suspected cases.
Lang Son InternationalQuarantine Service has directed all functional bodies to preparemedicine to prevent the virus from spreading to the locality.
Accordingto the Health Ministry, MERS-CoV, which was first reported in SaudiArabia in 2012, has so far spread to 26 countries with 1,154 patients,434 of whom have died.
In Asia, there are four countries whohave recorded MERS-CoV cases: the Philippines Malaysia, theRepublic of Korea and China.
The disease can bespread between people and causes fevers, breathing problems, pneumoniaand kidney failure.
The death rate of people confirmed to have the virus infection is about 51 percent. No vaccine is currently available.
The WHO said those with weak immune systems or chronic diseases such as diabetes are particularly vulnerable to MERS-CoV..
The organisation also urged countries to continue monitoring acute andabnormal respiratory cases associated with travelling from affectedcountries in the Middle East , while launching standard precautionarymeasures.
They were also asked to complete theevaluation of MERS-CoV infection and risk and raise public awareness ofthe epidemic and its risks.-VNA
All aviation agencies have been requested to keep aclose eye on high-risk passengers, including tourists and those whowork in farms with camels from Middle Eastern countries, ensuring allsuspected MERS-CoV cases are detected in a timely fashion.
The sector should also increase communications among passengers andaviation staff on the virus and prevention methods, asked the CAAV,while coordinating with health quarantine agencies to observe all healthquarantine processes.
Foreign airlines were also informed of preventive measures against the virus.
In a meeting in Hanoi on June 2, Health Minister Nguyen Thi KimTien asked ministry bodies and other relevant ministries and sectors toimmediately implement preventive measures in line with directions fromthe ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Sheunderlined the need to launch communication campaigns calling on peopleto avoid travel to affected areas and raise public awareness of theimportance of regular hand-washing by soap and other hygiene practicesto prevent the spread of the disease.
Head of theMinistry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu saidthe health sector should work with all-level authorities to intensifymedical monitoring at border gates to promptly detect infections andapply medical declarations in entrance and exit areas.
It is necessary to put in place plans on receiving and treatingpatients and supervising affected cases to prevent the spread of thedisease in communities in case the worst scenario happens, he stressed.
The sector is required to update instructions andprofessional documents in the field and provide medical staff withtraining courses on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of MERS-CoV.
The same day, Hanoi’s Health Department had a meetingwith the municipal Steering Committee for preventing MERS-CoV to discussdisease prevention solutions.
Healthcarefacilities in the city were requested to take measures to classifypatients with symptoms of MERS-CoV to be separated for timely treatment.
Ho Chi Minh City has also rolled out measuresto control the virus in all local border gates and airports with aspecial focus on passengers coming to Vietnam from the Middle East andthe Republic of Korea (RoK).
According to thecity’s International Quarantine Service, the Tan Son NhatInternational Airport in the city handles seven flights from the RoKevery day with up to 1,200 passengers. Health declarations have notbeen implemented for passengers yet, however, the agency has preparedabout 50,000 health declarations and sufficient personnel for the workwhen instituted.
In the northern mountainousprovince of Lang Son, bordering China - where the virus has beendetected, local border gates have also tightened health check proceduresto discover suspected cases.
Lang Son InternationalQuarantine Service has directed all functional bodies to preparemedicine to prevent the virus from spreading to the locality.
Accordingto the Health Ministry, MERS-CoV, which was first reported in SaudiArabia in 2012, has so far spread to 26 countries with 1,154 patients,434 of whom have died.
In Asia, there are four countries whohave recorded MERS-CoV cases: the Philippines Malaysia, theRepublic of Korea and China.
The disease can bespread between people and causes fevers, breathing problems, pneumoniaand kidney failure.
The death rate of people confirmed to have the virus infection is about 51 percent. No vaccine is currently available.
The WHO said those with weak immune systems or chronic diseases such as diabetes are particularly vulnerable to MERS-CoV..
The organisation also urged countries to continue monitoring acute andabnormal respiratory cases associated with travelling from affectedcountries in the Middle East , while launching standard precautionarymeasures.
They were also asked to complete theevaluation of MERS-CoV infection and risk and raise public awareness ofthe epidemic and its risks.-VNA
