Health ministry calls for strengthening monkeypox surveillance at border gates

The move came right after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ongoing Monkeypox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.

Specifically, the ministry urged the localities to promptly implement epidemic prevention and control measures in order to minimize the number of the disease victims.

Relevant units are in charge of actively monitoring and detecting suspected cases at border gates, especially those returning from countries where monkeypox is endemic.

The ministry also stressed the need to strengthen medical surveillance to detect disease cases at medical facilities to prevent possible outbreak in the community.

The ministry underlined the importance of organizing training courses for medical staff and enhancing communications to raise public awareness about monkeypox and prevention measures.

Earlier this year, Viet Nam detected more than 120 monkeypox infections, including six fatalities, with most cases in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities such as Lam Dong, Long An, Binh Duong and Can Tho./.