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| The Ministry of Health says that giving children enough doses of vaccine is an effective way to prevent diphtheria. – Photo hanoimoi.com.vn |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Wednesday urged residents to give children the complete four doses of the diphtheria vaccine.
The request was released after two students from a high school in the central province of Quảng Nam died of diphtheria.
Associate professor Trần Đắc Phu, director of the Preventive Medicines Department under the MoH, said that the two students were among 24 sick patients under isolation in the Tây Giang mountainous district.
One of the students died after receiving the wrong diagnosis at first, he said.
"Diphtheria is a viral and dangerous disease with high risk of fatality and no proven medicinal cure," said Phu.
Phu added that Tây Giang District was close to a district of Laos which had seen a diphtheria epidemic killing 600 people in the beginning of 2015. Most of the patients were adults who might not have received the vaccine.
The disease can spread quickly, so the department warned that residents should strictly implement preventive methods.
Children must receive enough vaccination. People must keep personal and environmental hygiene. Residents living in the affected areas must be isolated and receive proper treatment. — VNS
