Vietnam PM Urges to Combat Widespread Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged ministries and agencies to take drastic measures to prevent and control the spread of hand-foot-mouth disease, state media reported. The government leader has asked local authorities to provide local residents with accurate and timely information about the disease and how to take preventive measures like cleaning the house and school environments. The disease is rampantly spreading across the country with more than 81 deaths out of 32,500 infected cases so far this year, the health ministry said, adding that most of the patients are under-five children from the southern region, making up 80% of total patients and 90.1% of total dead cases. The Health Ministry and the Ministry of Education and Training have also been asked to collaborate in carrying out measures to combat the disease outbreaks amid the upcoming new school year. The ministry added this year’s infection cases have been considerably high, three times higher than the same period of last year, and there is vaccine for the contagious viral illness. Newly-elected Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien Aug 15 announced that the disease becomes a full fledged epidemic. However, Deputy Minister Trinh Quan Huan on Aug 17 claimed that the situation has not been serious enough to declare an “epidemic” because it is still under control and no province declare the epidemic.  The European Commission will fund EUR60,000 from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to help control hand-foot-mouth disease in Vietnam, the European Union’s Delegation to Vietnam announced. (Ha Noi Moi –New Hanoi Aug 19 p7, Vietnam News Aug 19, Tuoi Tre – Youth Aug 19 p4, Lao Dong –Labor Aug 19 p1)