HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notice asking health departments to strengthen their measures against flu, with the number of flu patients rising.                                                                      

Deputy minister Nguyễn Thanh Long on Friday acknowledged that the flu was spreading in several localities.

Hà Nội, which is still in a cold spell, witnessed a hike of children sick with the flu recently. The National Hospital of Pediatrics said more than 1,000 children caught the flu in January alone, of whom some 220 in serious conditions had to stay at the hospital for treatment.

More sick children were also recorded at other hospitals, with many diagnosed with the influenza A and B viruses, which can be fatal.

Seasonal flu is also sweeping the United States while China and North Korea have announced cases of the swine influenza A/H7N9 and A/H1N1 virus, respectively.

The health ministry asked local departments to keep guiding residents on flu prevention measures and to focus on early detection and quarantine work.

Health departments should work closely with veterinary agencies and relevant units to detect and handle any flu outbreaks among poultry, and to tightly control the trans-border sale and transportation of sick poultry, to prevent virus transmission to people.

The ministry also recommended citizens not go to crowded places where an outbreak occurred, and encouraged them to get flu vaccinations if possible. 

According to the World Health Organisation, about 5 to 10 per cent of adults and between 20 and 30 per cent of children in the world are infected with flu every year. Of which, from 250,000 to half a million die due to the disease. — VNS