Ministry of Health urgently directs stepping up of diphtheria prevention in Thanh Hóa Province

A medical worker takes a sample for a diphtheria test in Mường Lát District, the central province of Thanh Hóa. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoa Mai

THANH HÓA — The General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM) under the Ministry of Health has asked the Thanh Hóa Provincial Department of Health (DoH) to strengthen diphtheria prevention and control.

In a letter sent to the DoH on Sunday afternoon, the GDPM said that Mường Lát Town in Thanh Hóa Province had reported several cases of diphtheria.

To proactively fight the disease, the GDPM requested the DoH to direct medical units in the province to strengthen screening close contacts of those who are ill and monitor and promptly detect suspected cases in the community.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) 's instructions, medical units will collect samples, test to identify infected cases, deploy medical quarantine measures to handle outbreaks, and provide prophylactic antibiotics for all close contacts.

The MoH requires relevant units to ensure emergency care, examination and treatment for patients.

They must establish separate areas for quarantine, minimise the number of deaths, strictly implement cross-infection prevention and limit transferring patients to higher-level hospitals when not necessary.

The DoH should direct units to review people who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated against diphtheria in all communes and wards and organise supplementary vaccinations, especially in areas where diphtheria is prevalent and vaccination rates are low.

Medical units and localities should step up education about diphtheria and preventive measures to local people, closely monitor children’s health and regularly clean classrooms.

The GDPM also requested the DoH to review and ensure logistics for vaccines, preventive antibiotics, antitoxin serum and other chemicals and report the situation to the provincial people's committee to arrange funding for epidemic prevention and control.

Medical units need to hold training courses for preventive and treatment staff on disease surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, and patient care. They must also find inspection teams in areas at risk of disease spread.

The GDPM asked the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to monitor the epidemic situation closely and guide and support localities in their work.

The Thanh Hóa People's Committee on Sunday announced a diphtheria epidemic in Mường Lát Town. The first patient in the town was discovered last Monday.

The provincial Centre for Disease Control, so far three cases have been detected, including a pregnant woman, a 10-year-old child and a 74-year-old woman, who is a relative of the pregnant woman.

As of Sunday afternoon on August 11, no new cases had been detected. — VNS