By August 7, more than 25,700 cases of foot-and-mouth infection had been reported in the southern region, including 74 deaths, a 400 percent increase over last year.
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This figure was released at a conference on foot-and-mouth disease held by the Ministry of Health in Ho Chi Minh City on August 15 and attended by delegates from 20 provinces and cities in the southern region.
According recent statistics, HCM City has the greatest number of foot-and-mouth patients (more than 7,000), followed by Dong Nai and Dong Thap.
The Pasteur institute has organized training courses on the disease for medical workers and teachers from kindergartens and primary schools. The institute also set up working groups and sent inspection delegations to help infected localities cope with the fatal disease.
The Ho Chi Minh City Health Department has coordinated with the education sector to intensify the sterilization of kindergartens and provided households with nearly 50 tonnes of Cloramine B to prevent the spread of the disease.
According to Dr. Tran Ngoc Huu, head of Pasteur Institute, foot-and-mouth disease has been defined as an infectious disease since 2008. The Pasteur institute is working with international organisations to conduct further research on the disease.
Foot-and-mouth disease is likely to spread, along with an increasing number of dengue fever cases, especially in September.
(Source: VOV)
