The body temperature of arriving passengers is monitored via a remote thermal imaging camera system at Hữu Nghị International Border Gate in the northern mountainous province of Lạng Sơn. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Duy

HÀ NỘI — Border authorities in the northern mountainous province of Lạng Sơn are tightening health surveillance and stepping up rodent control measures at key international crossings amid concerns over the potential spread of Hantavirus, a dangerous disease primarily carried by rats and other rodents.

At Tân Thanh International Border Gate, health quarantine officers have intensified inspections and monitoring efforts to prevent the virus from entering Việt Nam through cross-border trade activities.

Quarantine personnel are conducting continuous patrols in cargo gathering areas to detect signs of rodents and implement medical control measures in line with regulations.

Particular attention is being paid to vehicles transporting dried agricultural produce, food products and manufacturing materials, as Tân Thanh serves as a major import hub for such goods.

These cargo categories are considered especially vulnerable to rodent infestation during storage and transportation.

Lương Hoàng Huân, deputy head of the border gate’s Health Quarantine Team under the Lạng Sơn Province International Health Quarantine Centre, said that since the beginning of the year, more than 24,300 export vehicles and over 56,200 import vehicles had passed through the border gate.

“For the border gate handling large volumes of agricultural products, dried goods and general merchandise such as Tân Thanh, the risk of disease transmission is always present,” Huân said, adding that the unit had therefore strengthened inspections of both vehicles and cargo from the border area itself.

Alongside professional operations, authorities are also educating drivers and transport companies operating at the border gate on disease prevention measures.

“After receiving guidance from border officials, we have become more attentive to cleaning vehicle cabins,” said Chu Văn Tùng, a driver from the central province of Quảng Trị.

Drivers are also advised not to leave leftover food inside vehicles and to regularly inspect hidden corners and enclosed spaces for rats and rodents.

Disease prevention measures against Hantavirus are also being strengthened at Hữu Nghị International Border Gate, one of the country’s busiest crossings for daily passenger traffic.

Border guard officers remain stationed at immigration checkpoints, while health quarantine staff continue monitoring travellers for abnormal body temperatures using thermal imaging systems and advising them on preventive health measures.

Phan Trần Kiên, deputy head of the Health Quarantine Team at the border gate, said that more than 436,000 inbound passengers and over 445,000 outbound passengers had crossed through the gate since the start of the year.

Through remote thermal screening systems, the unit detected six inbound passengers with unusually high body temperatures.

However, subsequent medical screening ruled out infectious diseases in all cases, he said.

Although no Hantavirus cases have been recorded at border gates in the area so far, authorities remain on high alert amid growing trade and travel activities.

Tô Đức Long, deputy head of the Border Guard Station at Hữu Nghị International Border Gate, said border guard forces regularly coordinate closely with health quarantine authorities in disease prevention efforts, including distributing leaflets, conducting public awareness campaigns and directing passenger flows to avoid overcrowding in confined areas, thereby helping ensure safety and security at the border gate.

According to the Lạng Sơn Province International Health Quarantine Centre, authorities are simultaneously implementing multiple measures to strengthen surveillance and prevent the spread of Hantavirus at border gates across the province.

Professional departments and border quarantine units have been instructed to proactively update disease information, closely monitor people, vehicles and goods entering and leaving the country, and promptly detect suspected cases in order to apply quarantine measures such as isolation, medical supervision, testing and on-site medical treatment.

At the same time, warehouses, freight yards and cargo gathering sites are undergoing regular environmental sanitation to minimise the risk of disease transmission.

To raise public awareness, health quarantine authorities in the province are also intensifying communication campaigns targeting travellers, drivers and border residents on the risks of Hantavirus infection, warning signs of the disease and preventive measures.

According to medical experts, Hantavirus infection can cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or severe cardiopulmonary syndrome, both of which are associated with high mortality rates.

The virus is mainly found in wild rodents and can spread to humans through inhalation after exposure to contaminated environments. — VNS