By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In a follow-up on the diphtheria outbreak in Central Highlands province, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health coordinated with the People’s Committee of Gia Lai Province to organize a vaccination campaign against diphtheria epidemic in 4 provinces in the Central Highlands region, including: Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Dak Nong.

Image/Robert Herriman

The campaign to vaccinate against diphtheria all people who are 2 months of age or older. Accordingly, children from 2 months of age to 18 months of age are given 1 5-in-1 vaccine; children from 19 months to 48 months of age: 01 DPT vaccine and people aged 48 months or older: 2 Td vaccinations (the second dose is 01 month apart from the first vaccine).

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long, Acting Minister of Health said, “To urgently control diphtheria epidemic in the Central Highlands region; The Ministry of Health has implemented drastically measures to respond to epidemics such as: sending mobile anti-epidemic teams to support localities, strengthening surveillance and detection of cases, contact cases and organizations. isolation, treatment of cases and preventive treatment for people in risk areas.

“One of the most effective and most effective diphtheria prevention measures is the diphtheria vaccine for comprehensive and sustainable prevention of diphtheria. On that basis, the Ministry of Health has issued a plan to vaccinate against diphtheria in four provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Dak Nong. This is a large-scale anti-diphtheria plan in Vietnam.”

According to statistics of the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health, as of July 8, 2020, in the Central Highlands region, there were 68 cases positive for diphtheria. Dak Lak is province to record the first case, Dak Nong has 27 cases; Gia Lai province has 16 cases; Kon Tum has 24 cases. Three deaths have been recorded.

Most cases were not vaccinated.