Quang Ninh strengthens border inspection given China’s H7N9 outbreak
The northern province of Quang Ninh is intensifying measures to prevent A/H7N9 avian flu entering through border gates as it shares about 118km border line with China, which is tackling a new A/H7N9 outbreak.
Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northernprovince of Quang Ninh is intensifying measures to prevent A/H7N9 avian flu from entering through border gates as it shares about 118km border line with China, whichis tackling a new A/H7N9 outbreak.
Deputy Director of the provincial HealthDepartment Nguyen Tien Hung said on February 21 that the most important task atpresent is using temperature measuring machines and spraying chemicaldisinfection at the gates.
Any infections found must be quarantined andeven not allowed to enter the locality (in case of foreign visitors), he added.
Vietnam has so far recorded no infections ofhuman A/H7N9 avian flu, however, the country is promoting efforts to preventthe entry of the virus, which caused a new outbreak in neighbouring China.
According to the Preventive Medicine Departmentunder the Ministry of Public Health, the long borderline shared with China andbusy cross-border trade activities between the two countries pose a high riskof H7N9 virus to be transmitted into Vietnam.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said thatChina has reported 340 human A/H7N9 avian flu cases in 13 provinces and citiesnationwide so far this year. Almost the infected cases had a history ofexposure to live poultry in markets or areas polluted by infected poultry.
The number of human A/H7N9 cases havecontinually increased in China since October last year, causing the fifthoutbreak in the country since 2013, the WHO reported.
To proactively prevent the disease, theVietnamese Ministry of Health recommended people to not use poultry or poultryproducts with unknown origins, and ensure food hygiene.
They were told to immediately notify local authoritiesand veterinary units if they detected any sick or dead poultry.
People should visit doctors 🦂to be counselled,examined and receive treatment if they have flu-like symptoms, such as fever,cough, chest pain or breathing difficulty, the ministry said.-VNA
Communicable diseases from around the world could enter Vietnam and spread easily if the country does not improve prevention and control, said Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department.
Vietnam has so far recorded no infections of human A/H7N9 avian flu, however, the country is promoting efforts to prevent the entry of virus, which caused a new outbreak in neighbouring China.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued an urgent notice requiring strong measures to prevent avian influenza viruses including H7N9 from entering Vietnam.
An urgent meeting was held in Hanoi on February 20 to discuss measures to prevent avian influenza viruses, especially A/H7N9, which are spreading in some neighbouring countries.
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
