WHO to Support Vietnam in Testing Ebola Virus at Home

The World Health Organization (WHO) will provide technical support to Vietnam in testing the Ebola virus, which is a deadly virus claiming more than 1,000 deaths in four Western African so far this year. The technical support is at the proposal of Vietnamese government, said WHO’s Representative Dr. Masaya Kato at a press conference held by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Hanoi on August 12. There is low risk of the disease spreading to Vietnam as the deadly virus is transmitted through direct or indirect contact with infected humans and animals, he said. Dr. Kato added that the testing of Ebola must be made in laboratories of bio-security level 4, while the country has only facilities at level 3. There are only nine countries worldwide having laboratories qualified for Ebola testing. At a recent meeting of the Steering Committee on Epidemic Prevention and Control on Aug 11 in Hanoi, the MoH ordered the application of medical declarations at all international border gates, especially those from the Ebola-infected areas including Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Passengers from the above-mentioned areas will be screened before entering Vietnam at international airports, according to the latest directive of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. On Aug. 11, an emergency operations center (EOC) was launched in order to promptly deal with the disease in case it enters the country. Earlier late last week, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued a dispatch to instruct authorities over strengthening the prevention work against the disease. In a related move, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has asked travel agents to consider suspending tours to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria and update visitors with information about the epidemic and preventive measures. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has asked companies not to send labors to areas with Ebola epidemic. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Aug 13, Xinhua Aug 12)