Vietnam implements preventive measures against Ebola

Vietnam is implementing preventive measures against Ebola infection, with health quarantine work strengthened at international entries as well as the warning of travel to areas infected with the epidemic.
As Vietnam is not eligible for bio-security for Ebola virus testing, if any suspected case of Ebola being detected, the country will send the sample to the United States for testing, a Vietnamese official said here Monday.
Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology under Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday said the testing of Ebola must be performed in laboratories with of bio- security level 4, while the country has only facilities at level 3.
At a meeting of the Steering Committee on Epidemic Prevention and Control on Monday in Vietnam's capital 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.
Also on Monday, an emergency operations center (EOC) was launched in order to promptly deal with the disease in case it enters the country, reported the website of MOH.
The MOH is scheduled to hold training courses for hospitals at northern area of Vietnam in prevention and treatment for Ebola- infected patients on Wednesday, and for southern area on Friday.
Earlier late last week, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held a meeting with ministries over Ebola prevention measures. The Prime Minister then sent a dispatch to instruct relevant 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.
The Ebola virus, which spreads through bodily fluids with those infected, has killed 961 people and affected 1,779 others this year in West Africa, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The World Health Organization warned on Friday that the disease is now a "public health emergency of international concern" and called for a coordinated international response to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola.