Vietnam Intensifies Monkeypox Prevention amid Global Health Alert: MoFA
At a regular press conference in Hanoi on August 22, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang confirmed that Vietnamese authorities have stepped up efforts to prevent monkeypox, including enhanced monitoring and disease control.
Her statement followed the World Health Organization's declaration of monkeypox as a global public health emergency due to its rapid spread in many African countries.
On August 19, the Ministry of Health issued an official document to provincial and municipal People’s Committees, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the Pasteur Institutes, and infectious disease treatment centers, urging them to strengthen monkeypox prevention and follow the directives laid out in the Prime Minister’s Official Dispatch 680 from August 1, 2022.
The Prime Minister's directive covered diagnosis and treatment protocols for monkeypox, as well as infection control procedures within medical facilities. Under the directive, health agencies must coordinate with local authorities to enhance public communication on preventive measures and to oversee disease control efforts in affected areas. Plans and response scenarios are being reviewed and updated to ensure preparedness in the event of an outbreak.
Moving forward, health and disease control agencies will continue to closely monitor the situation and take necessary measures to protect public health, Ms. Hang noted.