Ho Chi Minh City has decided to promote its geographic information system (GIS), to prevent infectious diseases, said Le Hong Nga, Deputy Director of the city’s Preventive Medicine Centre.

The statement was made during a conference to discuss preventive activities in 2017, held by the HCM City Department of Health on January 16.

According to Nga, the GIS displays data as digital maps, which will show outbreaks and their spreading paths. The system will be applied in medical stations of all districts and communes across the city to monitor outbreaks and promptly respond to them.

Infectious diseases such as dengue fever and other respiratory issues remained stable in HCM City last year, without any major changes compared to 2015, reported the Preventive Medicine Centre. However, the city recorded nearly 200 Zika cases in 2016.

HCM City Department of Health aims to prevent major outbreaks in 2017. The health sector of the city has also worked to raise people’s awareness to tackle contagious diseases.

VNA