On the afternoon of January 8, at the regular Government press conference, the press reported that the HMPV virus causing pneumonia in humans in China is receiving great attention from the people.

"Can the Ministry of Health please tell us about the solutions to prevent and contain this virus, to prevent it from becoming a dangerous epidemic?", the press asked the representative of the Ministry of Health.

Responding to the above question, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that recently, the monitoring system recorded information from press channels and social networks about cases of pneumonia virus in China.

According to Mr. Tuyen, 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 showed that the main agent is the HMPV influenza virus.

Medical school
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen.

On January 4, the Chinese Foreign Ministry officially informed that the respiratory infections spreading in the country are common and peak at this time of year; at the same time, it affirmed that there were no adverse medical events.

Mr. Tuyen said that the HMPV virus is transmitted through the respiratory tract, through droplets, sneezing, runny nose or talking. People infected with this virus have symptoms similar to the common cold such as fever, cough, stuffy nose and can cause complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

The disease is transmitted through the respiratory tract and often increases in winter with cold, dry weather conditions; the risk of getting sick is high in children under 5 years old, the elderly, and people with underlying medical conditions due to weak immune systems.

Currently, Chinese health authorities have confirmed that the country's health system is not overloaded, the current hospital utilization rate is lower than last year, and there is no emergency response declaration during the implementation of disease prevention and control.

Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen said that the World Health Organization also assessed that seasonal epidemics caused by respiratory pathogens often occur in winter in temperate climates; at the same time, it recommends that people in countries in winter take basic measures to prevent the spread and minimize risks caused by respiratory pathogens, especially for vulnerable groups.

The World Health Organization also recommends against imposing any restrictions on trade and travel related to the current trend of acute respiratory diseases.

In the face of the epidemic situation, the Ministry of Health has proactively monitored and updated through the event monitoring and surveillance system and implemented it daily, while closely coordinating and sharing with the world health system and the US Centers for Disease Control.

Currently, our country is also in the winter-spring period, with very favorable conditions for viruses to develop, including viruses that cause respiratory infections. The Ministry of Health has issued recommendations for people to proactively implement measures to prevent spring epidemics, this document has been sent to the Departments of Health for implementation.

The Ministry of Health recommends that people regularly update official information from the Ministry to avoid causing panic.

In addition, Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen requested that press agencies actively coordinate with the Ministry of Health and the Department of Preventive Medicine to have official information posted, helping people not to panic, but also not to be subjective, negligent and to implement epidemic prevention measures.

When there are signs of illness, people are advised to immediately go to medical facilities for examination, prevention instructions and treatment to ensure proper professional requirements.

Deputy Minister of Health: Bach Mai Hospital, Viet Duc Hospital 2 will be operational in 2025

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Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that the agency has actively directed contractors to ensure that Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital 2 will be operational in 2025.