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On May 25, the Ministry of Health issued an official dispatch to the People's Committees of provinces and cities, the Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology, and Pasteur Institutes, calling for strengthened surveillance and prevention measures against Ebola virus disease.
The Ministry of Health requested that the People’s Committees of provinces and cities direct departments of health, relevant agencies and sectors, and local authorities at all levels to urgently implement a number of measures, including strengthening surveillance and promptly detecting suspected Ebola cases at border gates, in communities, and at medical facilities.
In addition, localities were urged to coordinate with immigration authorities to review passengers returning from outbreak-hit areas, advise them to self-monitor their health for 21 days, and contact medical facilities if they develop symptoms suspected of Ebola virus disease.
Upon detecting suspected Ebola cases, authorities are required to immediately implement isolation measures and collect samples for testing at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology or the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for confirmatory diagnosis.
Localities and medical facilities were instructed to strictly implement infection prevention and control measures, as well as anti-cross-infection protocols at healthcare establishments. Special attention must be paid to ensuring adequate personal protective equipment for healthcare workers when coming into contact with suspected cases.
They were also required to strictly comply with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines on hygiene procedures for the burial and cremation of individuals who died from or were suspected of having infectious diseases. They should develop disease prevention and control plans at border gates and within communities in line with possible outbreak scenarios.
The Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes were tasked with closely monitoring the global disease situation, assessing risks, and promptly advising the Ministry of Health on appropriate and effective disease prevention and control measures. They were also requested to provide guidance, training, surveillance activities, and technical support to localities in monitoring, testing, and implementing epidemic prevention and control measures.
On May 17, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain in the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
On May 22, the World Health Organization continued to maintain its disease alert level and updated its Ebola risk assessment for Congo and Uganda, rating the public health risk as very high in countries currently recording cases, high across African nations, and low at the global level, including in Vietnam.
As of May 22, the two countries had reported 750 suspected Ebola infections, including 177 deaths caused by the Ebola virus.
