Vietnam may produce Tamiflu

Mr. Cao Minh Quang, Director of the Vietnam Drug Administration said that the Department had a negotiation with Roche pharmaceutical company and that there might be 3 Vietnamese pharmaceutical companies to produce Tamiflu medicine to treat flu at the end of the year.

At the meeting of the Steering Committee for SARS and other dangerous diseases conducted today October 26, Mr. Quang said the national stockpile needed 25 million doses of Tamiflu, enough to treat 1 / 4 people have H5N1 if a pandemic occurs. According to calculations, if a pandemic occurs, about 10% of Vietnam's population will be infected with H5N1.

Professor Tran Quy, Director of Bach Mai Hospital and many other medical experts said that if an epidemic occurs, the patient can detect where it is, need to be treated right there and immediately put the epidemic right away. Experts also suggested facilities and departments in health facilities as well as related agencies to work closely in epidemic prevention. They also asked the Ministry of Health to take measures to protect people participating in epidemic prevention and control such as vaccination, protective equipment and preventive medicine.

Health experts also suggested that the treatment regimens of H5N1 influenza have been reviewed over the past time and updated the treatment regimens of the world and the region to improve the treatment regimen of Vietnam, building set up research units on treatment and epidemiology.

Members of the Steering Committee and experts emphasized the role of propaganda in the prevention of avian influenza. The Propaganda and Prevention Subcommittee said that it will provide information on the flu situation, preventive measures on the Ministry of Health website and organize a public information dissemination network, establishing a hotline for information and guide people when epidemics happen.