The Children Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday announced to save a serious case of dengue with multi-organ failure who is at the risk of death.
 
A 11-year-old kid from HCMC’s Binh Tan District was hospitalized when he suffered high fever for many days. He was diagnosed to have dengue at the critical stage as he had slow rate of heart rate; worse, medical workers could not feel his pulse.

Through checking, the child also suffered multi-organ failures such as bleeding, breathing problem, liver and kidney injury and coagulation disorders.

Doctors were quick to give treatment and put him on ventilator. The kid was given blood to curb bleeding and coagulation disorder.

Additionally, doctors performed filtering blood to treat kidney and liver failure.

Head of the Intensive Care Unit Dr. Pham Van Quang said the case took 23 days for intensive care; doctors faced difficulties because the kid is obese.

After three week treatment, the kid recovered and organs functioned normally. He will be discharged a few weeks later.

According to the city’s Center of Preventive Medicine , since the beginning of the year, the city has 15,000 dengue cases, a year-on-year rise of 15 percent. Five people are reported this year, an increase of three deaths compared to the same period last year.

HCM City run to support cancer patients

The Terry Fox Run 2017, which aims to raise funds for cancer patients, will take place on Tan Trao street, Phu My Hung urban zone, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City on November 5.
 
All the proceeds will be used to finance Vietnam’s projects on cancer research, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CanCham) in HCM City said at the launching ceremony on October 6.

Anony Nezic, co-chairman of the Terry Fox Run Vietnam, said the event has raised around one million USD over the past more than 20 years. 

The sum was used for projects on child cancer research in Vietnam, jointly implemented by CanCham, Terry Fox Vietnam, the British Columbia University in Canada, and the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Last year, the run raised 1.9 billion VND (83,600 USD), which was used to fund a project on cancer research at the Nhi Dong 2 Hospital in HCM City.

Terry Fox Run is a non-competitive charity event held annually in numerous countries throughout the globe to commemorate Canadian cancer activist Terry Fox, who made a Marathon of Hope across Canada to raise funds for cancer research in 1980 after losing his leg to osteosarcoma.

To date, more than $750 million has been collected over the world for cancer research.

Slovakia’s 25th Constitution Day marked in HCM City

The Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-Slovakia Friendship Association (VSFA) and the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisation (HUFO) held a gathering in the city on October 8 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Constitution Day of Slovakia (September 1).

President of the HCM city's VSFA Bui Quang Hai congratulated Slovakia on the Day and thanked the Slovakian Embassy and Consulate General in HCM City for supporting his association to promote its role of connecting local people with Slovakians. 

The construction of the Friendship Tower invested by the CZ Slovakia Vietnam Co., Ltd will be one of the unique symbols for the sound traditional friendship between the people of Vietnam and Slovakia.

A representative of the Slovakian Embassy in Vietnam highlighted the strong and effective development of the bilateral relations in politics, economics, culture and society, saying that they were demonstrated by high-level delegation exchanges of the two countries’ States, ministries and localities as well as the stable growth of two-way trade and the investment of Slovakia in Vietnam and vice versa.

Medical networks in disadvantaged villages improved

After 20 year implementation of medical networks in distant districts in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, it has helped residents to access to medical service, improving locals’ awareness of medicine.
 
After taking part in the second competition for medical workers in the Highlands provinces, nurse Soao K’phia, working in village 5 in Da Sar Commune in Lac Duong District continued to encourage people in the village to adopt preventative measures against illnesses in the rainy season.

K’phia said the work of her and her present colleagues are facilitated more than the senior medical workers because traffic is easier and people’s awareness of medicine has been improved much.

With 20 year seniority in working in local medicine sector, head of Administrative Department of Medical Center in Lac Duong Ms. To Thanh Thuy reminded in 1997, Dam Ron region in Dam Rong District had disease but the major path leading to the region suffered serious erosion; as a result, bus could not enter the region; medical workers had to take old car to travel to Phan Rang District in Ninh Thuan Province and Khanh Hoa Province and then returned Dak Lak Province and Lam Dong.

However, Ms. Thuy said medical workers had to crawled to the road into Dung K’no village in Lac Duong because of muddy path and slippery hills.

Worse, doctors and nurses had to come to each house to increase information of disease prevention because each house is located in a hill; Ms. Thuy continued, it took one month for such mission trips.

Despite difficulties, medical workers still made efforts to encourage people to receive treatment yet they fretted about ethnic minority people’ conception of treatment.

Nurse K’Yem, deputy head of medical center in Gia Bac Commune in Di Linh District said ethnic minority people invited witch-doctor for treatment until patient become critical and die, their relative thought that the fate of patient is taken by God.

Working in the medicine sector for 27 years, K’ Yem at first worked in medical center in Gia Bac Commune where 90 percent of locals are ethnic minority. 

Beingan ethnic minority person, he understands the local traditions and customs yet he spent years improving people’s awareness. His efforts are rewarded as residents go to medical center when they experience disease.

According to the Department of Health in Lam Dong Province, some 1,133 medical workers are working in 1,148 villages where ethnic minority live. Most of them are local people; hence they have advantages in increasing information of disease prevention and healthcare task.

Medical workers in villages are trained in from three to six month, said Ms. Thuy. They will guide people how to prevent disease and take care of pregnant women at home as well as encourage people to plant herbs.

They are very devoted to their work though they receive bonus of over VND600,000 per person, said Ms. Thuy. 

Thanks to their efforts, many critical people are detected to bring to large hospital for treatment. 

Directorof the Department of Health in Di Linh District Dr. Le Thanh Quang praised the force because locals usually go to medical clinics when they are sick.

Lately, commune clinics are equipped with scan machines, machines to measure heartbeat contributing to reduce patient overload in big hospitals.

Medical workers in Lam Dong province won the first prize in the competition held by the Ministry of Health. The winning team will sit for the national competition at the end of the year.

CAAV to inspect air passenger information security

Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) yesterday said that the agency will inspect the passenger information security of Vietnamese airlines in October.
 
In addition, it has proposed the Ministry of Transport to work with authorized agencies to approve network security level for the airlines' air ticket booking and selling systems.

According to CAAV, the situation of leaking air passenger information occurred since 2013 and continued progressing in 2014 and 2015 at Cam Ranh and Noi Bai airports.

After investigating, airlines have fired some staff members and stopped contracts with some air ticket agents for breaking relevant regulations in passenger information security. Still, the situation has kept occurring for the last past.

In the upcoming time, CAAV will work with police agencies to apply administrative and criminal sanctions to those illegally using or trading passenger information.

High tide might cause flooding in HCMC’s lowlands

Tidal level is quickly surging in Saigon and Hau rivers which might cause flooding in low lying areas in HCMC and other provinces in the Mekong Delta in the next couple of days, warned the Central Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Center.
 
The southern region will be rainy in the morning. Rain will abate at noon and in the afternoon with interrupted sunshine.

Meantime, eastern winds will continue rendering medium to heavy rain in northern and north central regions from October 6-10.

On October 6, central provinces from Hue city to Phan Thiet city and the Central Highlands will be sunny with temperatures swinging from 29-33 degrees Celsius.

Viettel gears up ICT infrastructure in preparation for APEC

The military-run telecommunications company Viettel is gearing up to provide telecommunication and IT services for the APEC Summit, scheduled to take place in the central city of Da Nang from November 6-11.

The event is expected to attract the presence of the leaders from the 21 member economies, as well as thousands of government and business delegates, and international journalists.

Viettel has been selected as the provider of internet, television, and fixed line and mobile services, as well as hardware, including networking devices, TV sets, computers, phones and printers for the media centre and 4G SIM cards for the participating delegates.

The company plans to have its staff available around the clock to ensure the best service possible for the summit.

Since May, Viettel has begun burying 100 kilometres of optic cables underground, the company stated, adding that the entire infrastructure system for the APEC Summit will be completed by October 27.

During the summit, about 3,000 4G-enabled SIM cards will be distributed by Viettel to both domestic and international journalists and participants.

Under the theme “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, the APEC Summit will include nearly 200 different events.

This is the second time that Vietnam has hosted the APEC Summit after the first time in 2006 in Hanoi.

‘Magic mirror’ planned for Saigon Walking Street

An augmented reality (AR) ‘magic mirror’ will make its Ho Chi Minh City debut at the inaugural Fashionology Festival this month on the iconic Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1 from October 20 to 22.

The high tech fashion show, hosted by Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism, will feature a 670 meter long catwalk for more than 200 models to showcase dozens of the latest collections from both Vietnamese and International designers. 

3D mapping, street art, and music performances are also planned for the event, though the AR 'magic mirror’ is expected to be the star of the show.

AR ‘magic mirrors’ have become quite popular in many countries, but this is the first time they will make an appearance in Ho Chi Minh City.

Using 3D scanning, the high-tech mirror allows users to digitally try on different outfits and accessories in custom sizes and colors.

AR mirrors are already in use by several global brands, such as AXE and UNIQLO, as a means of easing the consumer shopping experience.

Fashionology Festival 2017 will be hosted by Vietnamese fashion icons such as supermodel Thanh Hang and directors Long Kan, Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, and Ta Nguyen Phuc.

About 100 domestic garment-textile businesses are expected to participate in the festival to introduce Vietnamese fashion to foreign tourists.

Entrance to the three day event is free.

Successful operation helps patient with breathing problem

The general hospital in the Mekong delta City of Can Tho yesterday announced it has succeeded in operating a man who has had sleep sitting up for four years because of breathing problem
 
A 50 year old man in Can Tho’s Ninh Kieu District was hospitalized when he seriously had breathing difficulties and cough. Moreover, he has sat upright for four years due to breathing problem.

Medical workers diagnosed detecting air in his lung is reduced in its upper lobe resulting in having sleep sitting up.

Additionally, his lung has enlarged pneumatocyst especially pneumatocyst takes up most of the right lung.

As a result, medical workers decided to perform an open surgery removing the pneumatocyst to release the right upper lobe of the lung and parenchyma just left the middle and under lobes.

After the operation, the man can lye down when sleeping.

Dr. Pham Van Phuong said that the man used to exploit coal for over 10 years; therefore, he might inhale dust and smoke.

Without surgery, the disease can be life-threatening.

Mai Hoa Co. fined $57,203 for selling substandard petrol

People’s Committee in the central highlands province of Lam Dong yesterday said that it has collected over VND1.3 billion ( equal to $57,203 ) from fining a company which sold substandard petrol.
 
Mai Hoa Company at 705 in the National Highway No.20, in Lien Nghia Town in Duc Trong District was fined because it sold low quality petrol.

Before, through unscheduled visit, mobile market management team and the Lam Dong police department for economic crime investigation (PC46) and other related agencies had taken a sample of RON 92 and RON 95 gasoline for testing. Test results showed that both samples had low quality.

The company therefore received fine of over VND1,3 billion.

At the time, inspectors paid visit to the company, there were 8,790 liter of RON 92 gasoline and 15,496 liter of RON 95 gasoline.

In addition to paying the administrative fine, the company was revoked its certificate to sell petrol in one month and it was asked to recycle the substandard gasoline.

Lac Hong University becomes Championship team of IoT Hackathon 2017

The IPG team from Lac Hong University in the southern province of Dong Nai won at Vietnam IoT Hackathon 2017 competition themed “Vietnam IoT-Internet of Things Hackathon 2017”.
 
The contest which was launched by the Viettel Telecom Corporation, aimed to boost the start-up spirit, encourage creative minds of start-up community in Vietnam and support to develop start-up enterprises in IoT field.

The contest attracted the participant of 150 teams across over the country.

The IPG team joined the competition with smart tablet project via connecting Internet. 

HCM City alley suffers around-the-clock flooding

An alley in a Ho Chi Minh City neighborhood is always inundated, no matter whether it rains or not, causing hardship and frustration for local residents.

The situation has been present for the past week along the alley at 183 Cay Tram Street in Go Vap District. 

The 300-meter-long alley is always submerged under water as high as 30 centimeters, even during sunny days.

Houses of local citizens are flooded around the clock, while motorbikes often break down traveling in the area.

Le Thi Tuyet Lan, 53, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper while scooping floodwater out of her house that she had to move her furniture to higher spots in the house.

Local people stated that this alley has always been flooded whenever it rains in the past three years, causing many challenges to their daily lives, adding that the weak sewage systems are to blame.

Vietnam Railways sells Tet tickets from October 5

Vietnam Railway will begin selling train tickets for the Lunar New Year, starting on October 5.

Train fares can be purchased online at www.dsvn.vn, vietnamrailway.vn and vetau.com.vn, or at the train stations nationwide.

Accordingly, train timetable will start from February 2, 2018 - March 4. Vietnam Railway will offer 10 trains on Hanoi-Sai Gon route; one train on routes from Sai Gon to Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Vinh and Dong Hoi; 24 trains on Sai Gon- Quang Ngai/ Quy Nhon/Nha Trang/Phan Thiet/Lao Cai/Vinh/Hai Phong routes; 9 trains from Sai Gon to Tam Ky,Hue, Da Nang, Dieu Tri and Nha Trang per day during the holidays.

Vietnam Railway plans to install automatic ticket checking apparatuses at stations in Hanoi, Da Nang and Sai Gon in November.

The company continues to offer special promotional program for people under preferential treatment policy, including Vietnamese heroic mothers, children with disabilities, disabled people, war veterans, wounded soldiers, the elderly. In order to restrict speculation in train tickets, the station will only accept and release the tickets when passengers provide their identity card or other personal papers which have photographic identification.

CAAV asks carriers to raise flights on Hanoi-HCM City route

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on September 29 asked local carriers to raise flights on Hanoi-HCM City route to meet the travelling demand of passengers after seeing a significant decrease of arrivals and departures between the two main cities in recent days.

As planned, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will open more 2-3 daily one-way flights from now until the middle of October, using large aircraft.

Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air will add more 20 one-way flights per day, starting the 2nd week in October.

Meanwhile budget airline Jetstar Pacific said that the carrier could not increase flights on this route in this period. Jetstar Pacific has cooperated with VNA to transfer its passengers to the national flag carrier. The company will run 6-7 one-way flights per day from October 15 to the end of the month; and 8-9 flights in November.

CAAV also asked airlines to provide a reasonable adjustment of airfares.
Low-cost carries, including Vietjet and Jetstar Pacific, have reduced flights on Hanoi-HCM City route in recent days. 

Passengers find it difficult to buy air tickets which are selling at a higher price than the price in normal days. Airfares must be booked several days before departure because of the scarcity of air tickets. 

A round trip price is from VND6-7 million. Carriers are facing with travelers’ complaints about delays, cancellations and other issues.

Public health at stake

All and every people in HCMC may have eaten poisonous meat due to huge flaws in the food safety control system. This presumption is ascertained after police and inspectors last week busted a large-scale ring where thousands of pigs were found to be injected with sedative drugs, sending waves of panic among millions of consumers in the city.

As the scandal unfolds, it can be seen greed by traders coupled with neglect of responsibility, if not conspiracy, on the part of State veterinary officers, has been the root cause of such a food scare. Administrative fines have been slapped on the culprits for apparently criminal offenses.

As widely covered in local media, having been tipped off by some people for over a month, inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with police last Thursday broke into Xuyen A Slaughterhouse in the outlying district of Cu Chi, and caught red-handed workers injecting a sedative drug named Combistress into big herds of pigs there. Quick tests that followed suit showed that as many as 3,750 pigs out of the total of over 5,000 there had been drugged.

Xuyen A is the biggest slaughterhouse in the city, supplying some 50% of pork to the entire city with some 13 million residents. Traders, who rent facilities at the slaughterhouse to butcher pigs, admitted to police and inspectors that sedative drugs are administered on pigs to calm them down. However, experts point out that apart from the expressly-stated purpose, pork from sedated pigs will look fresher, helping traders fetch a better price.

The danger is that sedative drug residue will adversely affect the people’s health, exposing them to numerous diseases, especially cardiovascular, digestive and mental illnesses, according to Tien Phong. Such adverse effects on human health will be long-standing. Also according to the newspaper, most sedated pigs in the case were found to be wearing traceability tags, meaning efforts by HCMC’s authority to enhance food safety have not paid dividends.

Several big questions emerge, such as how long the illegal practice has taken place, and why city’s inspectors have failed to uncover the irregularities.

Many people believe that the illegal practice has persisted there for a long time, as inspectors and police could only brought the case to daylight after over a month being tipped off by the people, according to Nguoi Lao Dong. The number of sedated pigs is unimaginable as thousands of pigs are drugged a day at the slaughterhouse, according to the paper.

Initial investigations show that among 20 traders who rent facilities at the slaughterhouse, 13 of them often have pig administered with sedative drugs, according to Tuoi Tre. “This must not be the first time pigs are sedated at Xuyen A,” says the news website vov.vn of the Voice of Vietnam Radio station. And if a big slaughterhouse like Xuyen A can perform such an illegal act, there is good reason to believe that other smaller slaughterhouses can do the same, says the website.

More specifically, one of the two workers who were caught red-handed injecting the drug to the pigs admitted that “it is their workaday job (to inject the drug),” Tien Phong reports.

There are also signs of conspiracy, as it is known that at the time of police break-in, all cameras at the site did not work, according to Tuoi Tre. According to the paper, several animal health officers are tasked to supervise this slaughterhouse on a regular basis, but they have failed to uncover wrongdoings there. A leader of the city’s Animal Health Division reveals that up to 17 animal health officers responsible for supervising the slaughterhouse’s operations have been ordered to make reports on their jobs there. The division’s leadership has admitted to loopholes in their supervision.

Asked whether there is collusion between pig traders and animal health officers, a police officer refuses to confirm conspiracy, but asserts in Tuoi Tre that “animal health officers have neglected their duties, as sedative drug packages can be found scattered on the floor of the slaughterhouse.”

Pham Khanh Phong Lan, head of the city’s Food Safety Control Board, angrily charges animal health officers for their neglect of duties, saying in the paper that “it is unacceptable when pig traders can have their men come into the concentrated slaughterhouse to administer sedative drugs,” and the question of collusion must be answered.

Upon the suggestion by Pham Khanh Phong Lan, the HCMC government has issued a decision to destroy all the sedated pigs, whose total value may exceed VND10 billion. In addition, Xuyen A Slaughterhouse is also ordered to suspend operation pending further investigations. The tough stance is meant to ward off future violations by traders.

At the same time, dossiers on the traders’ violations have been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue decisions to slap administrative fines of between VND32 million and VND35 million on each of the offenders. However, the measure is seen lenient towards such traders, whose violations have amounted to criminal offenses.

According to Nguoi Lao Dong, several cases of sedative drugs being injected into pigs have been found in HCMC in the past, but sanctions were not strong enough, with fines ranging around only some VND5-6 million. 

With the new fines proposed at VND30-35 million for each violator this time, the sanction is seen not matching the level of danger caused to consumers and the society in general, says Lawyer Nguyen Thanh Cong on Nguoi Lao Dong. According to the lawyer, criminal charges must be pressed against such violators. Otherwise, traders can continue their violations to make illegal gains, while the entire public health system will remain at stake.

Golden Dragon Theater stages water puppetry performances in Taiwan

Sixteen artists from Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater of Thai Duong Theater & Art Co. Ltd will stage water puppetry performances to serve audiences at the Mekong River’s traditional art festival from October 2 to 11 in Taiwan.  

Huynh Anh Tuan, director of the theater, said the festival attracts the participation of five countries Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar and each country will bring their unique art form to the festival.

Vietnamese artists are expected to show breathtaking water puppetry performances and lotus dances to promote Vietnamese cultural traits to international friends, Tuan noted.

Currently, the theater has emerged as one popular tourist attraction in HCMC, with around 500 tourists watching water puppetry shows on a daily basic. Over the years, the theater has performed at many international cultural exchange festivals.

My Tam initiates fashion collection to raise funds for needy kids

Local famous singer My Tam has launched a fashion collection named “Soul of Music” to raise funds to provide scholarships for underprivileged children.

Some 33,000 products designed for children aged between three and 12 and for youngsters by two fashion brands Ugether and Nightingale will be put on sale at the Nightingale showroom at 277 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street in HCMC’s District 3 or at the Ugether showroom at 125/8 Nguyen Cuu Van Street in Binh Thanh District.

All proceeds from the sales will be used to donate scholarships to poor kids embracing a special love for music with an aim to nurture the artistic dream of the young Vietnamese generation and create an opportunity for them to secure a seat at music talent training schools in big cities.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNEVET