Cholera patients keep increasing
Head of the Preventive Health Agency Nguyen Huy Nga said Wednesday that there were four more cholera patients reported on November 21, raising the total number to 261.Nine diarrhea patients were hospitalized to the National Institute for Contagious and Tropical Diseases on the same day and nine of them were positive to cholera virus.
Deputy Minister of Health Trinh Quan Huan said that the number of acute diarrhea patients fell in the past three days, with 7-8 cases reported daily. However, the epidemic still exists in Hanoi and Ha Tay province.
The official said that the diarrhea epidemic could stay in 13 northern provinces in the next several weeks.
He asked Ha Tay province to take drastic measures at the areas where new cholera patients were detected to prevent the spread of cholera virus.
On November 16, the Central Institute for Epidemiology announced the testing results of water from Lung Kenh canal in Duc Giang commune, Hoai Duc district, Ha Tay province, which is positive to cholera virus.
On November 21, the institute collected three more samples of water from canals in Duc Giang and Duc Thuong canals in Hoai Duc district, Ha Tay for testing.
Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu will go to Da Nang today, November 22, for supervising anti-diarrhea activities and after-flood consequence mitigation in the central region.