Following the unpredictable development of Middle East respiratorysyndrome (MERS-CoV) infections, Ho Chi Minh City’s Health Department hasrequested related units to prevent the spread of the disease intoVietnam, especially by intensifying inspection works in internationalairports and border gates.

Accordingly, the municipalinternational health quarantine centre will use remote body temperatureapparatus to detect people with high fevers at international airportsand sea ports. People who are suspected of suffering from the illnesswill be isolated immediately and receive preliminary checkups and tests.

The city’s preventive health centre will be responsible formonitoring in the community, and preparing facilities and medicine tocope with the disease if an outbreak occurs.

According to Head of the Preventive Health Department Tran Dac Phu, no case of MERS-CoV has been recorded in Vietnam, so far.
The country is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) andinternational organisations to keep strict monitoring of agents causingthe disease, Phu said.

From September 2012 to date, WHO has beeninformed of a total of 496 laboratory-confirmed cases of infectionswith MERS-CoV worldwide.

The organisation encourages all itsmember nations to continue their surveillance for severe acuterespiratory infections and to carefully review any unusual patterns.

Itsaid that infection prevention and control measures are critical inpreventing the possible spread of MERS-CoV in health care facilities,and that health-care facilities that provide for patients suspected orconfirmed to be infected with MERS-CoV infection should takeappropriate measures to decrease the risk of transmission of the virusfrom an infected patient to others.-VNA