Health Ministry downplays diphtheria epidemic risk
VOV.VN - Diphtheria is being kept under control and it is unlikely that the disease will break out into an epidemic in Vietnam, said Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.
Duc played down public concerns that diphtheria may spread to the wider community after some infections were recently discovered sporadically in some places.
Notably, a patient in central Nghe An province died of the disease in early July, while two positive cases were later detected in northern Bac Giang province.
Hundreds of people who got into contact with the confirmed cases are being put in quarantine for medical surveillance.
According to the health professional, in recent years, some cases have been recorded sporadically in places, especially in mountainous and far-flung areas where the vaccination rate has not yet reached 100%.
Diphtheria is not yet a complicated problem at present as the number of infections is low and small outbreaks are still under control, said Dr. Duc.
the diphtheria vaccine has been used in the national expanded programme on immunization in Vietnam since 1985. Vaccinations have helped reduce the number of cases hundreds of times compared to about 3,500 in 1983.
Vietnam has since the beginning of the year documented six diphtheria cases, including three in northern Ha Giang province, and most recently three in Nghe An and Bac Giang provinces.
Last year saw 57 people contract the disease, with seven fatalities.
