10% of Vietnam's population will be infected with H5N1, if ...

There may be a field hospital, making the school a hospital.

By the end of the year, I had to fill up a million doses of Tamiflu reserves

After the Prime Minister announced that if the outbreak had occurred, the Minister of Health, Agriculture & Rural Development had to take responsibility, the anti-epidemic air had become more urgent. Our correspondent had an interview with the National Steering Committee (SAR) on SARS and avian influenza (Ministry of Health) .

Around the way of prevention as well as 'script' is applied if a pandemic on people in Vietnam occurs, Dr. Tran Duc Long, deputy propaganda committee of the Steering Committee said:

The recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) on human pandemic influenza is likely to become a reality in Vietnam. In that case, please warn that the disease may not only be transmitted through the respiratory tract but also through the gastrointestinal tract and not exclude other pathways (direct contact). Also according to WHO recommendations, it is likely that 10% of our population will get sick and 1% of them will die.

To raise people's awareness, the Ministry of Health has a plan to print 200,000 questionnaires about avian influenza (providing up-to-date information), 2 million leaflets, 200,000 apphichs for wide distribution to provinces, ministries and border gates.

* To make a pandemic happen is very dangerous. To prevent it, the first requirement is to detect the translation. Has VN tested itself for H5N1, and do we have a device to quickly detect this virus?

- The current fast detection tool we do not yet have. The H5N1 test in Vietnam is mainly carried out in large labs such as the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, then sent to foreign countries for re-testing. However, in the face of a pandemic threat, we are investing in the construction of three additional third-level biological chambers (which can give accurate H5N1 test results) to the diagnosis, detection and treatment processes for infected people are more timely. It is expected that by the end of 2005, to complete all three biological chambers in the first quarter of 2006.

* If the person infected with H5N1 is treated immediately within the first 48 hours with Tamiflu, the recovery ability will be higher. However, how to detect early symptoms of the disease?

- People who have been exposed to poultry within the last seven days, if they have the following symptoms, must quickly go to the hospital and take measures to avoid spreading the disease to others: continuous high fever (chills), cough (often dry cough), chest pain, difficulty breathing, cyanosis, tachycardia, headache, muscle aches, possible diarrhea, consciousness disorders . Tamiflu will be highly effective if the patient is treated only after 4-8 hours the first symptoms.

* It is reported that taking Tamiflu will increase immunity for seven days so many people rush to buy. Please ask where can people buy Tamiflu?

Dr. Tran Duc Long

- Currently, Vietnam has imported about 600,000 doses of Tamiflu out of 1 million doses at the request of the Government. We have not enough drugs to store so all imported drugs are directed to the national reserve. So in theory, there is no Tamiflu in the free market. However, maybe due to flu pandemic concerns, many overseas Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese have bought and sent Tamiflu to the country. But it is unofficial, quality and unproven origin.

* VN appoints 1 million doses of Tamiflu? Is that number too small for the request if the epidemic happens? And to enter 1 million doses there are also many difficulties? When will we finish importing?

- Money for 1 million doses is an urgent expense. The Government requires the Ministry of Finance to pay. What about the demand and amount of imported drugs, when the epidemic happens, it will definitely be higher. The import of drugs depends on the supply of drugs and funding from the State, but the spirit of the Steering Committee for prevention of Sars and avian influenza is to finish by the end of this year.

* Are there two national steering committees operating in parallel to prevent bird flu?

- Right. Previously, at the request of the Government, the Ministry of Health established the National Steering Committee for Sars prevention. Now that there is more bird flu, the Government has added the task to this committee to prepare a plan to prevent bird flu on humans. Besides, there is also the National Steering Committee for AI prevention and control headed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Both national steering committees have members from many different sectors for easy coordination. The names and tasks are the same but the objects of these two boards are different.

MARD is the focal point to submit to the Government all measures to prevent influenza outbreaks in poultry. And the Steering Committee, headed by the Minister of Health, prepares solutions to deal with human influenza. The relevance of the two boards is so tight that the Government has directed the two sides to work closely together.

* Vietnam has invested thousands of billions to inject bird flu vaccine. Does the Ministry of Health recommend that people do not like to use poultry products?

- In principle, vaccines are already able to create immunity. However, no one can be sure that all poultry are injected, no one is missed and 100% of the vaccinated poultry will have good immunity. Although there have been no outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry in Vietnam for several months, the epidemic has not yet completely ended. From July 25, 2005, no one had to be hospitalized because of H5N1 infection but the epidemic was still lurking, showing signs of potential.

A duck is living normally but when tested, it carries H5N1. If using the secretion, poultry products of unknown origin when the risk of outbreaks remains high is certainly very dangerous. People should be aware of flu not only for their own health but also for the safety of the whole society.

* Is the Ministry of Health sure of the pandemic risk occurring in Vietnam as recommended by WHO?

- WHO recommends that it will almost certainly happen when the winter comes. On poultry, it has occurred and spread in both Asia and Europe. Also translated on humans, sporadic victims have died in some countries, but for several months in Vietnam no one has been infected. We are also actively vaccinating poultry vaccines, so the recommendation is only recommended.

No one dares to confirm whether the epidemic happened in Vietnam. But if the H5N1 avian influenza virus is transmitted from person to person, the pandemic will be very easy. This is unforeseen, so we are in the most positive state to prevent. Even if it was very costly to prepare and the translation did not happen, it was a blessing for the country.

* In the past when a few patients were infected with H5N1, they were transferred directly to the Institute of Clinical Medicine for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City. If a pandemic occurs, these two facilities cannot meet the requirement. Where will people be treated?

- Currently, the epidemic has not yet happened but the Ministry of Health has prepared very specific plans.If the epidemic happens sporadically, the total number of patients nationwide infected with H5N1 is not more than 100, in the North, the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Tropical Medicine, the National Hospital of Pediatrics is assigned to receive and treat patients. coming from Ha Tinh.In Central Vietnam, Hue Central Hospital will receive patients from Quang Binh to Khanh Hoa.People infected with H5N1 from Ninh Thuan onwards will be treated at the Tropical Diseases Hospital, Children's Hospital 1, Nhi Dong 2 HCMC.

If the epidemic breaks out at an average level (from 101-300 people nationwide), in addition to the above hospitals, in the North, Bac Thang Long Hospital, Duc Giang and Dong Da (Hanoi) will support and continue. receive treatment for patients with mild clinical symptoms.In addition, central hospitals like Thai Nguyen, Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa General Hospital;VN - Sweden Hospital (Uong Bi), Viet - Tiep (Hai Phong) will receive patients in contiguous areas.In the Central Region, Hue Central Hospital will expand the quarantine area to receive about 50 more patients (both adults and children).The South will mobilize more Cho Ray Hospital, Can Tho and Kien Giang hospitals.

In case of epidemic outbreaks (from 300 to 3,000 people), according to 'scenario' of provincial central and provincial general hospitals, hospitals of central and provincial tuberculosis and provincial hospitals, district hospitals, Hospitals will all be involved.Each hospital must arrange 10-30 isolation beds (half for adults, half for children), when a pandemic occurs, equipment, drugs and facilities will be provided from the national reserve base. .

* But sir, if the pandemic unfortunately happens, not only 3,000 people will be infected with H5N1 but over 8 million. If only 5% of these patients were admitted to the hospital, the number of patients was over 400,000. Meanwhile, the entire hospital bed in our country (both public and private hospitals) has 127,236. Have we reserved this situation?

- We will try to the maximum so that the pandemic will not break out.However, the National Steering Committee for the prevention of Sars epidemic and the dengue (Ministry of Health) has prevented the worst case scenario.In case the outbreak is too big, we will recommend military hospitals to join, set up field hospitals, use commune and ward health stations, even if necessary, turn the school into a disease. Institute for receiving and treating patients.