Health ministry urges enhanced Zika, dengue fever prevention
The Ministry of Health on May 25 requested provinces and centrally-run cities nationwide to enhance the prevention and control of the Zika virus and dengue fever.
Children with dengue fever under treatment at the Paediatric Hospital of southern Dong Nai province (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health on May 25requested provinces and centrally-run cities nationwide to enhance theprevention and control of the Zika virus and dengue fever.
Provincial-level People’s Committees were toldto direct local efforts to eradicate mosquito larvae and fumigate dengue feverhotspots to prevent the mosquito-borne diseases from spreading, while monitoringall households in affected areas.
They were also asked to collect and send samplesfrom suspected Zika cases to the hygiene and epidemiology institutes or Pasteurinstitutes in their regions to conduct confirmatory testing, which will helpassess the prevalence of Zika in order to take prevention and control measures,according to the Health Ministry.
On May 20, Vietnam’s communicable diseasesurveillance system recorded a Zika patient in Lien Chieu district, Da Nangcity.
This year, more than 26,000 dengue fever cases,including three deaths, have been reported in 58 provinces and centrally-runcities.
Ho Chi Minh City, the southern metropolis,recorded nine new dengue fever hotspots on the first days of the rainy season,the municipal Department of Health said on May 25.
It saw 113 new patients between May 19 and 24,raising the number of dengue fever infections to 6,893 from the outset of 2020.The cases were concentrated in District 3, 6, 9, 11, Binh Thanh and Go Vap./.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) will amend the guidelines on diagnosis and treatment for dengue patients in a bid to improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the mortality rate caused by the disease.
A combination of various public health and preventive medicine specialties should be paid attention to at the domestic and international levels to protect people’s health amid emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases globally, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son told a recent conference at the Pasteur Institute in HCM City.
Vietnam hopes to receive further assistance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to improve the country’s healthcare system, including disease prevention, primary health care and building healthcare law, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
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.
Children with dengue fever under treatment at the Paediatric Hospital of southern Dong Nai province (Photo: VNA) 
