A medical workers takes sample for flu test. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Health (DoH) on Sunday said that as seasonal flu outbreaks are occurring around the world, cases are also increasing in some northern provinces of Việt Nam.

The municipal health sector is closely monitoring the epidemic situation at medical facilities and proactively implementing measures to prevent and combat flu.

In HCM City, the infectious disease surveillance system recorded about 2,900 clinically diagnosed influenza cases last year, including 11 severe, but no deaths.

Currently, the city has 20 flu cases being treated as inpatients at hospitals and no abnormalities have been detected.

To proactively prevent and control influenza and not cause panic and anxiety, the DoH directs medical facilities to recommend that people coming to medical facilities for work, examination or treatment must strictly wear masks.

It stresses that people should not be negligent, and take care when in groups of people.

At the same time, medical facilities must strictly report emergency epidemic situations and put effort into preventing avian influenza from spreading.

The DoH has directed the municipal Centre for Disease Control to preside over and coordinate with medical examination and treatment facilities to monitor influenza cases and suspected severe viral pneumonia.

Districts should strengthen communication activities so that people can proactively implement effective disease prevention.

Non-public medical examination and treatment facilities must report cases or suspected cases of viral pneumonia and influenza to districts’ health centres to promptly deploy epidemic prevention and control measures.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the flu is currently spreading at high or very high levels in at least 40 states across the US.

The US CDC warns that adults aged 65 and older, people with chronic diseases, obesity, pregnant women and children under five years old are at risk of dangerous complications when infected with the flu virus.

Not only in the US, many other countries in the world such as Japan and South Korea are also facing the flu virus and many other viruses such as norovirus (a virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea), and the COVID-19 virus. — VNS