The Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee announced a diphtheria outbreak in Muong Lat town two days ago after three cases were recorded in the area. On the afternoon of August 12, Director Ha Thi Phuc of Muong Lat District Medical Center stated that the unit had requested the authorities to supplement 25,000 doses of tetanus-diphtheria vaccine to vaccinate high-risk individuals in the town and three neighboring communes.
In response to Thanh Hoa Province’s announcement of a diphtheria outbreak in Muong Lat town, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health issued an urgent dispatch requesting the Director of Thanh Hoa Provincial Health Department to direct local health units to strictly implement the Prime Minister’s directives in Official Dispatch No. 68/CD-TTg dated July 13 on strengthening diphtheria prevention and control.
They were urged to promptly review cases of close contact with diphtheria patients, monitor and detect suspected cases early in the outbreak area and the community, collect samples, test to identify cases, and promptly implement medical isolation measures, handle the outbreak, and provide preventive antibiotic treatment for all close contacts.
Local health facilities were instructed to ensure the reception, emergency care, triage, and treatment of patients; and establish separate areas for examination, isolation treatment, and emergency care to minimize fatalities.
