On the afternoon of January 8, at the regular Government press conference in December 2024, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen updated the latest recommendations on human pneumonia virus (HMPV) in China.
Beware of viruses that cause pneumonia in humans
Recently, there has been a lot of information about pneumonia in humans in China. According to the results of the key surveillance of acute respiratory infectious diseases from December 23 to 29, 2024 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cases were mainly caused by influenza viruses. This was identified as human pneumonia virus (HMPV).
As of January 4, 2025, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has officially informed that the respiratory infections spreading in the country are common diseases and the epidemic has peaked at this time of year. At the same time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry affirmed that there are no unusual medical events related to these cases.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen (Photo: Pham Thang).
"The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially informed that this is a common respiratory disease and often appears and develops with a high number of cases in winter. This is not an unusual medical event like the COVID-19 pandemic," Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen informed.
According to the Deputy Minister of Health, the HMPV virus is transmitted through the respiratory tract, through droplets when sneezing, having a runny nose, close contact, talking... This virus causes illness with symptoms similar to the common cold, such as fever, cough, stuffy nose or can cause complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis.
The disease often spreads strongly in winter, in cold and dry weather conditions. Children under 5 years old, the elderly, and people with underlying medical conditions due to weak immune systems are especially susceptible to the disease.
"Currently, Chinese health authorities have confirmed that the country's health system is not overloaded and hospital utilization rates are lower than the same period last year. China has not declared or responded to this virus with urgency," Mr. Tuyen informed.
Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen also cited information from the World Health Organization (WHO) assessing this as a seasonal epidemic and recommended that people in the winter take basic preventive measures to prevent the spread of the disease and minimize the risk of respiratory diseases, especially for vulnerable groups.
"WHO recommends against imposing any travel or trade restrictions related to the current trend of acute respiratory disease.
In the face of the epidemic situation, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health has also proactively monitored and updated through the daily monitoring and surveillance system, as well as shared information with WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control," said Mr. Tuyen.
The Deputy Minister of Health also warned that Vietnam is moving into the winter-spring season, with very favorable conditions for viruses to develop, especially viruses that cause upper respiratory diseases.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health issued a message for people to proactively implement measures to prevent and combat spring epidemics. People should regularly update official information from the Ministry of Health and the Department of Preventive Medicine to avoid panic and not be subjective in disease prevention measures.
The Ministry of Health recommends that people regularly eat cooked food and drink boiled water, exercise to improve physical fitness, increase resistance, should not be subjective or negligent, and need to follow the Ministry of Health's disease prevention and control guidelines.
Wash your hands with soap regularly, wear masks in public places and crowded areas, keep warm in cold weather, and take your children to get vaccinated on schedule.
Bach Mai and Viet Duc Hospitals, Branch 2, to be put into operation soon
Also at the press conference, Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen informed about the construction progress of Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital, Facility 2, and the expected time when these two projects will be put into operation.
Accordingly, construction of these two hospitals began in Phu Ly City (Ha Nam) at the end of 2014 according to the Prime Minister's decision.
The decision to invest in these two projects is in line with the general policy on public health care, especially bringing high-quality health services closer to the people, allowing the fastest access. The next goal is to reduce the load on the central line.
Bach Mai Hospital's Facility 2 is currently unfinished. (Photo: PT).
However, the two projects were implemented under the EPC form - design, supply of technological equipment and construction contracts. Therefore, during the implementation process, some problems were encountered and by January 2021, the contractor had to temporarily suspend construction.
Recently, the Government, the Ministry of Health and related ministries have researched and reviewed to find solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles.
In 2023, the Prime Minister decided to establish a working group to advise on solutions. The working group is headed by the Minister of Health, with members including a Deputy Minister of Health and Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Justice, etc.
Since then, the Government has held over 20 meetings to discuss and resolve difficulties and problems.
The Prime Minister held three meetings of the Government Standing Committee, and the Deputy Prime Ministers held many meetings to listen to reports, thereby acknowledging the efforts of the working group to try to remove obstacles.
Up to now, under the direction of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers, the working group has completed the solution to the problem and officially submitted it to the Government.
In addition, from the beginning of November 2024, contractors will resume construction. In that spirit, the Ministry of Health continues to direct investors and construction units to actively coordinate with ministries and branches to implement, remove difficulties and obstacles, and strive to ensure the completion and operation of this project in 2025.
In another development, on the afternoon of January 8, the Government Inspectorate announced its decision to inspect the project to build a new facility 2 of Bach Mai Hospital and the investment project to build a new facility 2 of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital.
According to the announced decision, the inspection period for the two projects of Viet Duc Hospital and Bach Mai Hospital, Facility 2, is from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2024; if necessary, it can be considered before or after the above period.
The inspection period is 40 working days (excluding Sundays, holidays and Tet) from the date of announcement of the inspection decision.
The Inspection Team has 11 members, including Mr. Ngo Dinh Long, Deputy Director of Department III of the Government Inspectorate, as Head of the Team.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/bo-y-te-ra-khuyen-cao-ve-virus-gay-viem-phoi-tren-nguoi-hmpv-tai-trung-quoc-192250108160708842.htm
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