Doctors from HCM City's Paediatrics Hospital No 1 have saved a two-month-old boy from a rare form of pleurisy.

The boy was taken to hospital breathless and pale and suffering from fever after four-day treatment by his private doctor.

The pleural effusion is rare and is defined as the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space.

* Companies sued for social insurance debts

Northern Yen Bai Province's Social Insurance Agency is suing local companies for insurance debts of nearly VND8 billion (US$382,000).

The companies include Cuu Long Vinashin Materials Company, Building and Industrial Production Co Ltd; Yen Bai Mechanics and Construction Co Ltd; and Luc Yen Plantation.

* Man killed by sliding concrete piers

A driving assistant in a lorry cabin was crushed by 15 concrete piers sliding forward when the lorry suddenly stopped in HCM City's Ha Noi Highway early yesterday, April 19. The driver was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

The accident happened when the driver suddenly put on the brakes when another lorry stopped at a red light.

Police are investigating.

* Asia-Pacific forum shares dengue news

Local and international health experts and scientists shared their experiences in the treatment and prevention of dengue fever at the start of a two day meeting of the Asia-Pacific Dengue Prevention Board that opened in Ha Noi yesterday, April 19.

"There is no specific treatment for dengue fever or a vaccine to protect against it, but work is being done to minimise the contact those at risk have with mosquitoes as part of community-based programmes," said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

"A long-term strategy and effective control measures are needed to reduce the harmful consequences of dengue fever, an important public health concern in many countries including Viet Nam," said Tien.

During the meeting, participants discussed and shared feasible preventive methods that contribute to dengue control and prevention programmes.

Ministry of Health statistics say that while there are always fresh cases of dengue being reported, serious outbreaks occur every three to five years. In recent years, cases have become more complicated with increasing numbers of fatalities. The health sector recently reported 10,000 cases and 15 deaths in just one month, despite the efforts being made to prevent and control the virus.

The World Health Organisation estimates as many as 2.5 billion people are at risk from dengue, and over 50 million cases worldwide are reported every year. Approximately, 500,000 of those progress to the more serious dengue hemorrhagic fever which requires hospitalisation, and the majority of them are children under 15 years old. The fatality rate for dengue hemorrhagic fever can reach 20 per cent if there is no appropriate treatment.

* More villages receive clean water supplies

Residents in 15 villages in the northern province of Ha Giang's Quan Ba district will have clean water thanks to a Swiss project costing US$138,000.

The two-part scheme is being run by the Swiss Embassy, Caritas Viet Nam and local authorities since 2002.

In the first phase, more than 4,000 residents in 12 villages in the province's Quan Ba District received fresh water.

* Canadian scholarships support ethnic girls

Canada-based energy firm Talisman Vietnam yesterday announced a US$143,840 donation to support the education of ethnic minority girls in Viet Nam.

The funds will support a scholarship programme titled "A Brighter Path" that provides scholarships for ethnic minority girls initiated last year by the VinaCapital Foundation in partnership with the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund.

Talisman's donation will put 50 ethnic minority girls through two years of high school and four years of university education. The scholarships, which will start in the 2011-2012 school year, will cover tuition fees, books, housing and uniforms or clothing.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News