According to Mr. Tien, though several dangerous infectious disease dramatically declined in the past six months in the region compared to the same period last year, other diseases have been skyrocketing in terms of infection cases and deaths.
Amongst these rising dangerous infectious disease, tetanus , rabies and diphtheria are worrisome. The region recorded two cases of tetanus while 14 inhabitants got rabies and all of them died of the disease ( in 2019, only five rabies cases were reported in the region).
Worse, diphtheria development seemed to be more and more complicated with 114 infections cases and three deaths. From June 6 to July 17, the health sector reported 16 outbreaks of diphtheria in Dak Nong, Kon Tum, Gia Lai and Dak Lak whereas 23 cases of diphtheria were reported last year without deaths.
Therefore, Deputy Health Minister Tien proposed people’s committees in the region to take heed of expanded vaccination. Vaccination coverage rate will be added in the localities’ socio-economic growth criteria.
On the same day, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son and delegates from the Ministry worked with health leaders of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, dak Lak, Dak Nong province upon treatment and prevention of diphtheria. He noticed provincial administrations to mobilize manpower and material to eliminate diphtheria.
The Ministry will have special policies to remove present difficulties of equipment and medicine for isolating patients.
