Children are given flu treatment at the Hanoi-based Hospital of Pediatrics. (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - TheMinistry of Health has announced there are no new mutations of influenzaviruses or drug-resistant strains in Vietnam.
The ministry has not recordedany abnormal infection so far, it said.
The ministry made the statementafter the local press reported a sudden spike of flu patients hospitalised in Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City.
Many city dwellers have rushedto buy Tamiflu – an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza Aand influenza B – for treatment, leading to rocketing prices of the medicinerecently.
According to the ministry’s2019 data, as of early December, more than 408,900 people have been infectedwith the influenza virus, causing 10 deaths.
This number was 15 percentlower than in the same period of last year and much lower than the annualaverage. Most of those infected caught influenza A (H1N1) or influenza B.
On average, there are more than800,000 recorded flu infections annually.
In the past three weeks, localpress reported the number of people checking in to central hospitals fortreatment had seen a sharp increase. More than 3,060 people had come for flutreatment at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases while the Hospital ofPediatrics was admitting 100-120 children daily.
Tamiflu 75mg prices hadincreased four or five times higher from regulated levels. The tablet had beensold for as much as 220,000 VND (9.1 USD) while the regulated price was only 45,000VND (1.8 USD). Many pharmacies announced they ran out of the drug.
Luong Ngoc Khue, head of theministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, said Tamiflu helpedtreat symptoms caused by the flu virus, but there were many ways to prevent thevirus.
Khue said flu cases wouldlikely increase in the next few days due to the impacts of cold, humid weather.
He suggested parents get theirchildren vaccinated yearly and maintain good hygiene to prevent the spread ofthe virus.
People should maintain personalhygiene, keep their body warm and go to hospitals or health clinics forexamination and treatment if they have symptoms of flu, such as sneezing,coughing and high fever./.
VNA
