HANOI, April 15 (Bernama) -- To further strengthen preventive measures against the new avian influenza strain of H7N9, Vietnam, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam, will establish a task force to cope with the virus, China's Xinhua news agency reported quoting an official statement as saying Monday.
Besides, a control centre will also be set up to timely monitor and respond to any possible circumstances caused by the bird flu, according to the statement by Vietnamese Minister of Health (MOH) Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at a meeting here late last week with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on deploying preventive measures against H7N9.
MOH will work closely with international organisations, particularly the WHO, to keep up-to-date with the epidemic's progress and seek their support in the form of medicine and medical equipment, said the health official at the meeting.
According to MOH, strict controls over poultry trade and strengthened coordination among localities nationwide are two of the most important measures to effectively prevent the spread of avian influenza H7N9 in Vietnam.
Other preventive measures include keeping good personal hygiene, regularly washing hands with warm water and soap, and avoiding possible sources of infection from poultry markets, the MOH advised.
Meanwhile, MARD head Cao Duc Phat instructed supervision and safe preventive measures to be strictly implemented, especially at poultry breeding farms, while border poultry trade are put under tight control.
Dr. Takeshi Kasai, WHO representative in Vietnam, said the WHO will continue to support Vietnamese health sector in defining the potential risks of H7N9 with updated information about the new strain, including exchange of news with the US Centre for Diseases Control (USCDC) and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), as well as providing the country with necessary equipment to test with the virus.
Capital Hanoi's health department also had a meeting late last week with its partners in the northern border provinces with China, including Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lao Cai and Dien Bien, to discuss joint implementation of preventive measures, including tightening control of cross-border poultry trade.
Hanoi has set up five mobile response teams that are working around the clock to fight against H7N9. The teams are asked to respond to outbreaks within 30 minutes since they receive an order.
Equipped with first aid equipment and medicines, they are also tasked with guiding technical skills in diagnosis, treatment and prevention, reported the health department.
Meanwhile, central Da Nang City's health department has planned to buy more medical appliances in service of emergency cases. Special attention will be particularly paid during the upcoming national holidays, including the Liberation Day (April 30) and Labour Day (May 1), during which an international fireworks festival will be held in the city.
Remote control temperature measuring machines will be installed at Da Nang international airport and test will be applied to all entries. Any doubts about a sudden fever or infection will be put into separated rooms and carefully monitored, reported the local authorities.
While Vietnam has not yet reported any cases of humans infected with the H7N9 virus, the country reported the first case of death caused by the H5N1 strain this year on April 9, in which a four-year-old boy from southern Dong Thap province died. In addition, eight samples among nearly 5,000 dying salangane birds in central Phan Rang city were tested positive to the H5N1 virus.
As of April 14, the H7N9 bird flu spread to six Chinese localities, causing 60 infections and claiming 13 lives, reported state-run Vietnam News on Monday.
According to medical specialists, the source and means of this avian influenza's spread is not known yet. No vaccine is currently available for this subtype of the influenza virus and there is so far no evidence of human-to-human transmission. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=942149
