Joint effort launched to prevent infectious diseases
The Ministry of Public Heath has launched a programme on rallying efforts of the entire political system and the community for fighting infectious diseases.
A campaign to raise public awareness of plague prevention in Quang Tri province (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) ⛎– The Ministry of Public Heath has launched a programme on rallying efforts of the entire political system and the community for fighting infectious diseases.
Speaking at an interdisciplinary workshop held by the Ministry’s Department of Preventive Health in Hanoi on December 14, Deputy General Director of the department Truong Dinh Bac said Vietnam faces a high risk of new dangerous infectious diseases such as Ebola, MERS-CoV, plague and avian influenza A (H7N9) virus entering the country.
In addition, the country has recorded increasing numbers of new cases of and deaths caused by dengue, hand-foot-mouth disease, malaria, rabies and encephalitis every year.
According to Bac, Vietnam has not identified any cases of avian influenza H5N1 infections in human so far this year, but outbreaks of the bird flu have been spreading in poultry flocks in many localities nationwide. Malaria is also emerging in the central, the Central Highlands and southern regions, with drug - resistant malaria on the rise.
D iseases that cross over from animals to humans, including Ebola and avian influenza, can have massive, rapid and far-reaching consequences on human health, livelihoods, food safety and economic development.
The official said the country is meeting with difficulties in preventing infectious diseases as booming trade activities and travelling are facilitating spread of new diseases to Vietnam. Meanwhile, public awareness of importance of personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, food security and disease prevention remains limited.
The programme is expected to encourage the community to actively participate in environmental sanitation activities, such as regular environmental cleaning campaigns, stopping the trade of sick animal and those of unknown origin .
The Ministry of Education and Training said it will enhance coordination with the health sector to run communication campaigns to raise teachers and students of precautionary measures against infectious diseases.
Disease prevention related-training courses and vaccination will be also promoted in education establishments in the coming time.-VNA
Vietnam is likely to face the spread of dangerous infectious diseases in 2015 such as Ebola, bird flu, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and measles, especially in zones with large population fluctuations and ethnic minority areas, said Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Ministry of Health’s General Department of Preventive Medicine.
It is necessary to enhance quarantine efforts and communication campaigns raising public awareness in border areas to prevent cross-border infectious diseases from spreading.
El Nino is likely to be one of the strongest on record this winter, posing a risk of outbreak of dengue fever and other diseases in Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A campaign to raise public awareness of plague prevention in Quang Tri province (Source: VNA)
