The Minister of Health and pediatricians over the country gathered on April 5 to discuss measures to reduce fatalities caused by hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), which has killed 16 people nationwide this year.

“Training courses on surveillance, prevention and control of HFMD for doctors as well as nurses at pediatric healthcare facilities is a must to restrain the number of deaths due to HFMD,” said Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

“Five training units have been set up for all doctors and nurses at pediatric healthcare facilities nationwide, with a focus on localities with high infection rates and deaths,” she noted.

“Proper implementation of formal guidelines for surveillance, prevention and treatment of the disease, which were issued by the ministry last year, will help to treat the disease effectively,” Tien emphasized.

The ministry has worked with provinces and cities to provide funding for local healthcare facilities so they can buy necessary equipment as well as medicines for treatment.

By the end of March, 21,295 cases of HFMD were reported nationwide, including 16 deaths, according to statistics released by the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department.

The number of cases rose by 9.1 percent against the same period last year while the number of fatalities was three times higher than last year’s figures.

All deaths were caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71), with children under three years old accounting for 87.5 percent and the remaining 12.5 percent children between three to five years old.

The southern region reported the highest rate of infections (9,337) and fatalities (13).

Tran Thanh Duong, deputy head of the Preventive Medicine Department, said the number of infections would likely increase greatly in the next few months.

The disease is caused by a group of viruses known as enterovirus (EV), including EV71 which can cause severe complications leading to death.

As there is no vaccine or specific treatment for enterovirus infections, good hygiene practices should be developed to prevent the spread of the disease.

Source; VNS