On the afternoon of July 18, before the complicated developments of the diphtheria epidemic, Mr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) had an interview with the press about the situation of this dangerous epidemic and preventive measures.
REPORTER: Given the complicated diphtheria epidemic situation, recently, there has been a phenomenon of many people being quarantined when they have come into contact with diphtheria cases. What is your opinion on this?
Mr. HOANG MINH DUC C: Diphtheria can be transmitted through the respiratory tract or through direct contact with secretions from the nasal and throat mucosa of patients or healthy people carrying the virus when coughing or sneezing.
The Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 68/CD-TTg dated July 13, 2024 on strengthening the prevention and control of diphtheria. The Ministry of Health has directed the People's Committees of provinces and cities to strengthen surveillance, early detection and thorough handling of outbreaks, preventing outbreaks in the community. It is requested that provinces and cities implement outbreak handling and proactive disease prevention for people according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.
Therefore, for those who have been in close contact with confirmed cases of diphtheria, the Ministry of Health recommends that they self-monitor their health, self-isolate at home for 14 days, and contact health workers for instructions on detecting suspected symptoms of the disease and taking prophylactic antibiotics. All close contacts in the outbreak area should take prophylactic antibiotics according to the Ministry of Health's instructions.
Home quarantine only applies to cases of close contact with patients diagnosed with diphtheria and is not extended to other cases of contact as was done for Covid-19 during the epidemic. Localities are requested not to abuse widespread quarantine unnecessarily, or on the wrong subjects, causing panic and disturbing people's lives.
How do you evaluate the development of diphtheria from the beginning of 2024 until now?
In 2023, the country had 57 cases of diphtheria and 7 deaths. According to information from the infectious disease surveillance system, in the first months of 2024 (up to July 18), Vietnam recorded 6 cases of diphtheria, including 1 death, including: 3 cases in Ha Giang province in January, February and April 2024 at old outbreaks, 1 case and death in Ky Son district, Nghe An province in June 2024 and 2 cases in Hiep Hoa district, Bac Giang province in July 2024.
Recently, the media reported a suspected case of diphtheria in Lao Cai province, however, the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology tested the sample of this case and the result was negative for diphtheria.
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease and the diphtheria vaccine has been used in the Expanded Immunization Program in our country since 1985, thus creating widespread immunity in the community and reducing the number of cases hundreds of times compared to 1983 (about 3,500 cases).
In recent years, only sporadic cases have been recorded in places where vaccination rates have not reached 100% of the vaccinated population. Therefore, there is still a certain small proportion of unvaccinated subjects in the community. Outbreaks mainly occur in remote areas, where conditions for providing expanded vaccination are still difficult, creating vaccination gaps.
Diphtheria is not a new disease and has a vaccine to create community immunity. When diagnosed positive, there are antibiotics and antitoxin serum for treatment. In addition, for cases of contact with positive cases, there are preventive measures such as injecting a single dose of Penicillin or taking Erythromycin for 7-10 days to prevent the disease. Therefore, assessing the diphtheria situation in 2024 so far is not a complicated problem, the number of cases is low, small outbreaks are still under control, and the risk of spreading into a large-scale epidemic is low.
What recommendations do you have for people in preventing and fighting diphtheria?
To proactively prevent diphtheria, people need to take the following measures well: take children (from 2 months to 7 years old) who are subject to expanded immunization to be vaccinated with vaccines containing diphtheria components (DPT-VGB-Hib, DPT...) fully and on schedule to ensure immunity to prevent the disease for children of vaccination age. In case of delayed vaccination, participate in vaccination as soon as possible.
Wash your hands regularly with soap; cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing; keep your body, nose and throat clean every day; limit contact with people who are sick or suspected of being sick. Ensure that your home, nursery and classroom are airy, clean and well-lit.
When there are signs of illness or suspected illness, diphtheria must be taken to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment. People in areas with outbreaks must strictly comply with taking preventive medication and vaccination as prescribed and recommended by health authorities.
NGUYEN QUOC
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khong-mo-rong-cach-ly-ca-nghi-mac-bach-hau-nhu-dich-covid-19-post749970.html
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