Vietnam's first monkeypox case recorded in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City has recorded its first case of monkeypox, a global public health emergency that has so far affected tens of thousands of people in over 70 countries worldwide, Tang Chi Thuong, director of the city's Department of Health, reported at a meeting on October 3.
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| Ho Chi Minh City has recorded its first case of monkeypox. |
It also marks the first monkeypox case discovered in Vietnam.
Thuong stressed that epidemic prevention work in the southern city is now being tightened as part of efforts to reduce the risk of infection.
The municipal Department of Health has also requested that border gates in the city closely monitor the body temperature of those entering the city as part of efforts to timely detect other monkeypox cases.
Those with epidemiological links will be taken to Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases to receive further treatment and care. They are encouraged to make use of private vehicles instead of going to the hospital via public transport, or alternatively they can return to their accommodation by private vehicles to undergo self-quarantine.
Thuong also directed grassroots-level health centres and hospitals to pay close attention to medical screening to detect early signs of monkeypox and conduct real-time RT-PCR tests in order to identify positive cases.
The health department noted that people suffering suspected monkeypox should actively self-isolate and avoid sexual intercourse, whilst those with confirmed monkeypox should quarantine until they fully recover.
People should regularly wash their hands using soap and other common antiseptic solutions, cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing, and immediately contact medical facilities in the event they have any symptoms of monkeypox.
According to information given by the World Health Organization (WHO), the illness can be spread from person to person through close contact, such as wounds, body fluids, droplets, or contact with contaminated objects like blankets and pillows.
The disease is often most severe in children, pregnant women, or immunocompromised people and the incubation period is between five to 21 days, usually six to 13 days. Whilst monkeypox has symptoms similar to smallpox, it differs in its systemic skin lesions and enlarged lymph nodes.
(Source: VOV)
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