Viet Nam records first case of monkeypox

The Department is cooperating with relevant agencies to tighten prevention of the disease, Tang added.  

The HCMC Center for Disease Control tasked border gates to ramp up medical surveillance at ports of entry for early detection of suspected cases. Suspected monkeypox cases at the border would be diagnosed and their medical and travel history analyzed.

Travellers with symptoms and risk factors would be directed towards the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, which has been designated as the treatment facility for severe cases, or other general hospitals with quarantine capabilities.

Suspected people can come to their nearest district-level hospitals to be tested for monkeypox if they have potential symptoms. 

Samples would be sent to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases or the Pasteur Institute for analysis. As people wait for their test results, they would need to either self-isolate or be isolated in hospitals. 

Potential symptoms include unexplained blisters, fevers above 38 degrees Celsius, headaches and muscle aches.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency over monkeypox outbreak as infections rose globally, with more than 35,000 cases across 92 countries and territories, and 12 deaths, as of August 15.

According to a temporary guide for monitoring and preventing monkeypox by the health ministry, people entering Viet Nam from areas with monkeypox outbreaks will be monitored and suspected patients will be quarantined./.