The Ministry proposed local administrations to work with the health sector to synchronously implement preventive measures especially in high-risk areas where the outbreaks of hand-foot-mouth have been reported to reduce the number of infections and deaths as well as prevent the disease from further spreading.
Following the increase in hand-foot-mouth cases in cities and provinces countrywide, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry has sent its document to directors of health departments asking to strengthen hand-foot-mouth prevention task.
Health sectors and local administrations in cities and provinces should increase dissemination of health education, of safe eating and living, of washing hand with soap and of keeping personal hygiene.
Additionally, the health departments should closely work with the education sector to organize media activities to prevent occurrence of hand-foot-mouth in schools especially in preschools, kindergartens and high schools. Schools are provided enough soaps and chemicals to clean classrooms and toys.
The Ministry also requested state competent agencies to monitor the disease for early detection of new outbreaks of hand-foot-mouth to isolate patients. Health departments in cities and provinces should take more samples for tests and mobile medical teams should be ready to give assistance to grass-root medical centers in treating patients.
Medical facilities should keep an eye on seriously ill people to minimize deaths. Moreover, hospitals should conduct hygiene activities to prevent cross-infections between hand-foot-mouth patients and measles patients.
From early 2020 till now, the country has recorded over 10,745 hand-foot-mouth cases in 63 cities and provinces including 6,662 hospitalizations without deaths.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of hand-foot-mouth cases declined by 55.6 percent and the number of hospitalization also dropped by 51.5 percent.
Some cities and provinces such as Ho Chi Minh City, the southern provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, the Central City of Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Hanoi, the northern provinces of Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh have seen an increase in hand-foot-mouth infection cases.
It is forecast that more people will be infected with hand-foot-mouth virus in the next time when schools receive students in the new school year.
