Prevention is better than cure

More than 1,300 people across the country have suffered from acute diarrhea, of whom 136 cases tested positive for Vibrio Cholarae. Worthy of note is that nearly 17 percent of all healthy people are carrying this strain of the bacteria, and people are being urged to protect themselves from the epidemic.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), acute diarrhea has spread to 18 cities and provinces across the nation. The number of acute diarrhea admitted to hospital and affected localities has increased by 2.5-3 times compared to the October 2007 outbreak.

Medical experts have attributed the spread of the epidemic to contaminated water sources and unsafe food, plus people’s apathy.

There is growing concern about the recurrence of acute diarrhea within the community. It is so surprising that the capital of Hanoi, which pays a lot of attention to food hygiene and safety, has the highest number of acute diarrhea patients. The healthcare sector has warned that not only Linh Quang lake, which was disinfected against Vibrio Cholarae last week, but many other ponds and lakes in the capital also run a high risk of carrying this dangerous strain of the cholera bacteria in the water.

Meanwhile, water in the Nhue River in Ha Tay province, about 15 km from Hanoi, has been found to carry the cholera bacteria. Nobody knows for sure how many sacks of vegetables cleaned with water from the Nhue river have been processed for daily consumption.

However, many people do not seem to care about warnings from the healthcare sector. Unsafe food is still sold on the pavements of many major streets in Hanoi. Those who wear white blouse uniforms are seen eat salads, noodles and shrimp paste, dog meat, pig’s pudding and other cooked intestinal organs. Many vendors even sell dishes on pavements near hospitals and open sewage drains.

Tests show that intestinal bacteria infections have surpassed authorised levels by from 10 to 160 times. Nearly 90 percent of all acute diarrhea cases admitted that they had eaten dog meat, shrimp paste and mixed salads before being hospitalised.

Summer is approaching and the warm climate is said to create ideal conditions for the cholera bacteria to grow and spread. In addition, blue ear pig disease and dengue fever are also recurring, causing a big threat to the community. More dangerously, the healthcare sector has yet to control the numbers of healthy people carrying the bacteria and several patients discharging themselves from hospital while being treated. Farmers also have the habit of using waste from humans and cattle and polluted water to tend vegetables grown in populous urban areas.

In fact, acute diarrhea is cholera. However, it is regrettable that the local administration is not courageous enough to give its name, which would deliver an urgent, serious and responsible warning to the public.

At an urgent meeting in Hanoi on April 12, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked the relevant agencies and localities to mobilise all resources to prevent the epidemic from spreading further, as it is believed it could cause a direct threat to the nation’s economy and social welfare. He especially called on the people to increase their awareness and take self-protective measures before it is too late.

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