URGENTLY prevent and control DEPTHIA, to prevent prolonged spread on a large scale

• The Department of Preventive Medicine requested the Directors of the Departments of Health of Nghe An and Bac Giang provinces to direct units and localities to urgently strengthen monitoring and early detection of suspected cases of diphtheria in the community.

Strengthen prevention and control of diphtheria to prevent long-term and large-scale spread

On the afternoon of August 8, the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health sent a document to the Nghe An Department of Health and the Bac Giang Department of Health on proactively strengthening the prevention and control of diphtheria.

The document signed by Dr. Hoang Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) said that, according to information from the infectious disease surveillance system, Nghe An province (Ky Son district) has recorded a case of a patient dying from diphtheria and a case of the disease in Bac Giang province (Hiep Hoa district) having close contact with the above-mentioned death case.

To proactively strengthen the prevention and control of diphtheria and prevent the disease from spreading long-term and on a large scale, the Department of Preventive Medicine requested the Directors of the Departments of Health of Nghe An and Bac Giang provinces to direct units , localities urgently strengthen monitoring and early detection of suspected cases of diphtheria in the community, and take samples for testing to promptly identify cases of the disease.

Implement measures to thoroughly handle the outbreak, organize investigations and provide prophylactic antibiotic treatment for all cases of close contact according to regulations.

At the same time, ensuring the work of admission, emergency care, examination and treatment of patients.

Set up a separate area for examination, isolation, treatment, and emergency treatment of patients, minimizing deaths.

Strictly implement infection control and prevent cross-infection at medical examination and treatment facilities, and limit the transfer of patients to higher level hospitals when not necessary.

Review all cases that have not been vaccinated against diphtheria
The Department of Preventive Medicine also requested the above two Departments of Health to direct relevant agencies to review and compile statistics on subjects who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated against diphtheria in all communes and wards in the locality. table.

Carry out additional vaccinations and vaccinations as soon as the vaccine is available, paying attention to remote areas, areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, and areas with difficult travel.

Promote propaganda activities about diphtheria and prevention measures so that people can proactively implement disease prevention and control measures and closely coordinate with health units during the treatment process.

At the same time, organize close monitoring of the health of children, pupils and students at training facilities; Regularly clean and ventilate classrooms, promptly notify medical facilities when detecting suspected cases of disease so that they can be isolated and treated promptly to prevent outbreaks.

In addition, review and ensure logistics of vaccines, prophylactic antibiotic treatment, anti-toxin serum, chemicals... to deploy anti-epidemic tasks.

Report to the Provincial People's Committee to arrange funding and mobilize support resources to ensure logistics work to fight the epidemic.

If necessary, propose the need for diphtheria antitoxin serum to the Ministry of Health (Department of Planning and Finance) for allocation, management and use according to regulations.
Mobilize human resources to support epidemic areas, send mobile anti-epidemic teams and mobile emergency teams to support localities in implementing disease prevention and control.

The Department of Preventive Medicine also requested the Departments of Health of Nghe An and Bac Giang to direct relevant units to organize training courses for preventive medicine staff and treatment staff on guiding contents. monitoring, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, patient care, infection control and organizing inspection, supervision and direction teams in hot spots and at-risk areas epidemic outbreaks, supporting localities in disease prevention and control.

Recorded deaths due to diphtheria
In Nghe An, an 18-year-old girl in Nghe An has just been confirmed to have died from diphtheria, this is the first case in this locality in many years.

As for the case in Bac Giang, according to the report of the Department of Health of Bac Giang province, on July 7, 2024, the case of Moong Thi Bien, 18 years old, temporarily residing in Trung Tam village, Hop Thinh commune, Hiep Hoa district, province Bac Giang (permanently residing in Pha Khao village, Pha Phat commune, Ky Son district, Nghe An province) tested positive for Diphtheria.

This is 1 of 2 cases of close contact with a death from Diphtheria in Ky Son district, Nghe An province.

The risk of a diphtheria outbreak in Nghe An

After the first case of death due to diphtheria, Nghe An Department of Health directed units to urgently strengthen strict monitoring of the epidemic situation; Early detection and guidance on timely quarantine to prevent the epidemic from spreading and prolonging.

The patient is an 18-year-old woman, residing in Pha Khao village, Pha Phat commune, Ky Son district. After epidemiological investigation, the health sector of Nghe An province and Ky Son district identified 119 cases of close contact with this patient.

These 119 people permanently reside in Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts, including 2 people who have left the locality and gone to work in Bac Giang province.

Currently, one person has symptoms of a sore throat and tested positive for diphtheria.

Dr. Nguyen Van Thuong - Deputy Director of Nghe An Department of Health said that after receiving information from the Center for Tropical Diseases of Nghe An General Friendship Hospital about a suspected case of diphtheria, Nghe An Department of Health directed the Nghe An Center for Disease Control (CDC) to go to the hospital to take samples for testing, conduct fresh staining of the samples, and send officers to directly bring the samples to the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology that night.

At the same time, request CDC Nghe An to immediately establish a Rapid Response Team departing for Ky Son on the morning of July 5 to support investigation and disease prevention.

The rapid response team has coordinated with local authorities, Ky Son Medical Center, schools, and health stations to investigate and review information on close contact cases; Make phone calls to guide some close contacts who have gone to work at companies in other localities and instruct on medical declaration and implementation of disease prevention measures.

"The Nghe An Health Sector is coordinating with relevant local authorities to actively deploy epidemic prevention and control measures; organize investigations, monitor, take samples for testing, and spray disinfectant and disinfectant chemicals." , isolate, give people in close contact with symptoms of sore throat, cough, fever... to take prophylactic antibiotics; provide on-site treatment instructions, promote communication activities on the loudspeaker system so that people can understand and prevent diphtheria; conduct diphtheria vaccination for subjects of vaccination age who have not been vaccinated," said Dr. Nguyen Van Thuong.

Urgently expand epidemiological investigation and promote expanded vaccination

Dr. Nguyen Van Thuong also said that on the morning of July 8, the Department of Health sent an urgent document to units, directing them to strengthen strict monitoring of the diphtheria epidemic situation, detecting early, instruct timely quarantine to prevent the epidemic from spreading and prolonging, for infected cases, localize and thoroughly handle the outbreak.

Strengthen grassroots information and communication activities about the risk of diphtheria and prevention measures so that people are aware and proactive in preventing it. At the same time, encourage families to get their children vaccinated on schedule and with enough doses.

Actively coordinate with the education and training sector to promote propaganda in schools about personal hygiene measures, regularly clean floors and objects with common antibacterial chemicals, and limit contact with sick people.

Organize well the work of collecting, providing first aid, and treating cases of infected or suspected diphtheria to avoid cross-infection in medical facilities and minimize deaths as possible.

Prepare drugs, supplies, chemicals, and means to promptly support localities in implementing measures to handle outbreaks (if any) and recommend that people be vaccinated with diphtheria-containing vaccines at vaccination sites. services for those not covered by the expanded vaccination program.

Along with that, promote preventive vaccination on schedule, with enough doses, safety and quality, especially reviewing subjects who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated with vaccines containing diphtheria components to organize Dredging.

Ensuring that all children, including temporary children in the area, are fully vaccinated with basic and booster shots, achieving a vaccination rate of over 95% in all communes, wards, and towns, especially in the regions. remote, border areas where access to medical services is limited to avoid children getting sick due to late vaccination or not being vaccinated.

Coordinate with the authorities and Ky Son District Medical Center to urgently expand epidemiological investigation, early detection, and instruct timely quarantine to prevent the disease from spreading and prolonging, for cases of disease. , localize and thoroughly handle the outbreak.

Organize disinfectant spraying at households with infected people, schools, hospitals, set up control points to limit people entering and exiting epidemic areas and integrate it with medicine dispensing activities and hygiene instructions Individually, carry out propaganda in many languages (priority is given to ethnic minority languages) to inform people about the symptoms of the disease, and cooperate in preventing diphtheria.

Nghe An's difficulty in preventing diphtheria today is that people in remote areas have limited awareness of diphtheria even though the health sector regularly propagates and disseminates it.

* SOURCE: https://xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn/khan-truong-tang-phong-chong-benh-bach-hau-khong-de-lay-lan-keo-dai-tren-dien-rong-119240708215518091.htm