Hanoi’s Health Department held a meeting on March 31 to mobilise all available resources as precautions for a Zika outbreak, after the Ministry of Health raised the Zika virus emergency level to 2.
Medical staff sprays chemical to kill mosquito in Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi’s Health D♈epartment held a meeting on March 31 to mobilise all available resources as precautions for a Zika outbreak, after the Ministry of Health raised the Zika virus emergency level to 2.
Head of the department Nguyen Khac Hien said alarm bells are ringing, as approximately 8,000 foreigners entering the capital city through Noi Bai Airport on a daily basis.
According to him, 62 local general hospitals are tasked with keeping a close watch on their patients, and communities across the city must monitor residents returning from overseas – especially Zika-hit countries.
The city is operating 65 mobile disease-prevention teams and stockpiling a large amount of relevant chemicals and medical equipment.
A promotion campaign will be carried out at border checkpoints so visitors know where to go if they have any symptoms of Zika.
Locals are advised to protect themselves and their families using mosquito repellent, and securely cover all containers of water to prevent mosquitoes from entering them and laying eggs.
Currently, Hanoi has no cases of Zika virus. Six suspected dengue-fever samples were tested, producing negative results.
According to the WHO, 59 countries and territories have recorded Zika cases. Some foreigners, after leaving several Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, were also reported to have tested positive for Zika.
Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the vast majority of cases, brain damage. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat the disease.-VNA
About 1,600 samples of blood and body fluids will be taken to test for the Zika virus in Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong from March 28 to April 8.
The central province of Quang Tri has taken numerous comprehensive measures against the Zika virus along the border with Laos, where a case was recently discovered.
The Ministry of Health asked the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to raise the warning level for the Zika virus, after an Australia visitor tested positive upon return from Vietnam.
No mosquito-borne Zika virus case has been reported within Vietnam so far this year, as samples collected are confirmed by labs as negative for the virus.
All drugs entering hospitals must have a clear origin, so counterfeit drugs are only in the market, not in hospital, affirmed Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
To achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, Vietnam is prioritising the integration of AI and digital tools into the training of future doctors, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Dean of Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi.
Health experts called for collective disease prevention and integrated solutions to achieve zero dengue deaths in the country at an online talk show on June 14.
The PM called for closer, broader, and more effective cooperation with Vietnamese partners, guided by the principles of mutual benefit, joint efforts, shared outcomes, and common development, including promoting stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with businesses.
Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
Leading Vietnamese companies specialising in respiratory and dermatological treatments, traditional medicine, immune support supplements, and functional foods will have an opportunity to connect with international distributors and secure export deals.
The project aimed to enable early detection and reduce the risk of dangerous complications, targeting patients with chronic diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and metabolic disorders.
A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND (4.14 billion USD) annually – equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
Medical screenings and surgical interventions for children with disabilities are being carried out at health centers across Dien Bien. So far this year, 242 children have been identified for diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and the provision of assistive devices.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 25,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded globally over the past month. Notably, from January 1 to May 10, Thailand reported nearly 54,000 infections and 16 deaths. The rise in cases in Thailand has been linked to the spread of XBB.1.16 subvariant.
Recently, HCM City has experienced a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases, with 26 reported in just one week, compared to an average of only 1-2 cases weekly earlier this year.
Medical staff sprays chemical to kill mosquito in Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)
