The monkeypox pathogen has entered the community.

SGGPO 11/09/2023 17:30

According to the Ministry of Health, monkeypox is a new disease recorded in our country but the pathogen has penetrated the community. In the coming time, it is likely that Vietnam will continue to record new cases of the disease.

On November 9, the Ministry of Health sent an official dispatch to the directors of health departments of provinces and cities across the country, requesting to step up proactive surveillance activities and measures to prevent monkeypox epidemics.

Accordingly, local health authorities need to strengthen surveillance at medical examination and treatment facilities, community-based surveillance and at border gates, integrate surveillance with HIV/AIDS prevention activities, surveillance at gynecological and dermatological examination facilities, public and private health facilities providing HIV/AIDS prevention services (HIV testing, PrEP pre-exposure prophylaxis, ARV treatment) to detect cases, clusters of cases, and sources of infection; thereby providing counseling, care and treatment services.

Mầm bệnh đậu mùa khỉ đã xâm nhập vào cộng đồng ở nước ta

Monkeypox has entered the community in our country.

Localities must strengthen management of monkeypox cases and contacts to prevent further infection and spread to the community and prevent infection among medical staff; provide counseling and HIV testing for people with the disease and sexual partners of people with monkeypox.

For suspected cases, samples must be taken and sent to the Pasteur Institute/Regional Hygiene and Epidemiology for testing and diagnosis. At the same time, proactively develop and update plans and scenarios for prevention and control according to situations to be ready to respond when an epidemic occurs in the area; prepare medicines, equipment, human resources, and funding to implement measures for admission, treatment, and epidemic prevention.

Bộ Y tế yêu cầu các địa phương đẩy mạnh giám sát dịch bệnh đậu mùa khỉ

Ministry of Health asks localities to step up surveillance of monkeypox epidemic

According to the Ministry of Health, monkeypox is a newly recorded epidemic in our country, but the pathogen has penetrated into the community; in the coming time, it is likely that Vietnam will continue to record new cases of the disease, especially in large cities. Statistics from the beginning of July 2023 to now, the whole country has recorded 56 cases of monkeypox, including 2 imported cases.

Cases have been recorded in 7 provinces and cities, including 1 death in Ho Chi Minh City. The age range of the cases is 18-49 years old and most of them are men (92.9%) with homosexual and bisexual tendencies. Notably, up to 63% of monkeypox cases are infected with HIV and 46% of cases have other sexually transmitted diseases.

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