Vietnam Monitoring Cases Of Acute Diarrhea And Cholera

Hanoi, Vietnam (AHN) - More than 100 people have been hospitalized in the northern provinces of Vietnam as a result of cholera outbreak, according to the country's health officials Tuesday.

Diarrhea epidemic has spread to at least 11 provinces and about 80 people are getting infected every day, they said.

In the past week over 900 people have been admitted to hospital suffering from diarrhea symptoms, of which 122 are cases of acute diarrhea.

Earth Times reports Huy Nga, head of the Preventive Health Department under the Ministry of Health saying: "Up to 15 per cent of the people having acute diarrhea are positive for cholera. The others are infected with other bacteria and have lighter symptoms."

Although Vietnam is monitoring the situation, it has not launched a nationwide campaign to vaccinate against cholera.

According to Nguyen Tran Hien, head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, once the outbreak has occurred, vaccine can only be used as a secondary measure since it won't have any effect till three weeks after the injection is given.

Instead, people have been advised to make sure that they cook food properly, boil drinking water and wash hands with soap to prevent the outbreak from spreading.

Warnings are being regularly broadcast on public address loudspeakers in Hanoi.

Central provinces are also being monitored for an outbreak since floods have made fresh water scarce in those areas. Plans are being made to vaccinate people in the flooded provinces.

Around half the cases of diarrhea are suspected to be as a result of contaminated fermented shrimp paste, a popular Vietnamese condiment.

The spread of cholera is usually through drinking water or food contaminated with cholera bacteria.