US neurosurgeon hailed for contributions

Prof. Gary Heit, a US’s leading neurosurgeon, has been honoured for his practical contributions to the development of cranial neurosurgery in Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Prof. Heit, who is currently Director of the Americare Neurosurgery International, was presented with an insignia “For People’s Health” by the university on October 18.

The professor has been directly involved in a number of operations on Vietnamese patients suffering brain tumors and other forms of cranial nerve disorders and transferred the techniques to the staff and students of Hue University.

Since 2005, he has been providing neurosurgical equipment and tools to the university’s hospital, helping local doctors and practitioners access innovative techniques in examining and treating.

US helps province build education, health facilities

The US has continued assisting Vietnam’s effort to improve education and health care services by funding the construction of a primary school and a communal health ward in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh.

The two facilities, which were inaugurated in Duyen Hai District on October 18, cost over 660,000 USD (nearly 14 billion VND).

The works, which will significantly help increase local children and people’s access to better education and health care services, reflect the friendship between the Vietnamese and US people.

Viet Nam to play Turkmenistan

Viet Nam's national team will play against Turkmenistan on the opening day of action at the Viet Nam Football Federation Cup on October 24 at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City. Fans will also have the opportunity to see the match between Laos and South Korea on the same day. The four participating teams will compete in a round-robin format. The hosts will meet Laos on October 26 and South Korea two days later.

Besides Vietnamese referees, Malaysians have been invited to take charge of the matches in the tournament. The final match will be played on October 28.

First wood car made in Vietnam

Le Nguyen Khang and his staff in HCM City have successfully produced a wood car, the first of its kind in Vietnam.

Construction of the open-top car which is 4.6 metres long and 1.8 metres wide started in April last year, he said.

High-tech parts of the car such as engine, gearbox, chassis, transmission system, and steering wheel which were imported from BMW German automaker, while other parts were manually made of wood by themselves.

Khang named the car “Achilles”, which he said can safely run up to 60 km/h and be used in restaurants, hotels, golf courses, and tourist resorts.

He expects to sell the car at US$25,000-26,000 and all the money will go to charities.

Bird flu outbreak in Dien Bien

Cases of bird flu have been reported in Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien.

Director of the provincial Department of Animal Health Cao Thi Tuyet Lan said bird flu outbreaks were discovered last Friday in two households in the commune's Village 12, with nearly 720 livestock suffering from the disease.

Three days later, local authority discovered nearly 400 other livestock infected with the H5N1 virus in Village 15.
Since the outbreak, authorities have detected and culled more than 1,000 sick livestock in the commune.

The province banned sick livestock from being transported, processed and traded out of the affected area, and closely supervised slaughter and trade in other districts and communes of the province.

The provincial People's Committee also quarantined the affected areas, and counted the number of livestock, especially ducks in Noong Luong Commune and Muong Thanh District, to ensure that a bird flu epidemic does not spread.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also gave guidance on carrying out preventive measures such as sterilisation of farms where infected poultry have been reported.

US hospital donates equipment to Bach Mai     

The Saint Anthony Hospital in the US donated US$1 million worth of medical equipment to the Bach Mai General Hospital at a ceremony on Wednesday in Ha Noi.

Bach Mai's director Nguyen Quoc Anh said that the nearly 43 tonnes of equipment, including patient beds and ultrasound and respiration machines, would help improve health checks and treatment at the hospital as well as boost training of human resources in the public health sector

As the biggest hospital in the north of the country, Bach Mai receives about 1.1 million patients each year, including 100,000 inpatients. The hospital helps support training of human resources at 31 hospitals in northern provinces.

Mechanical firm pays for toxic draining

The central city of Da Nang's People's Committee has fined Da Nang Mechanical Joint Stock company VND200 million (US$9,500) for illegally draining off untreated wastewater in Lien Chieu industrial park.

Although the park has a concentrated wastewater treatment facility, the company intentionally released untreated wastewater directly into the environment.

Rabies increases in northern mountains

Rabies has claimed the lives of 74 people in the northern mountainous provinces so far this year, but only 83 per cent of deaths were reported.

According to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, after five straight years of reductions, the number of rabies cases rose sharply this year, spreading across the northern mountainous region.

Up to 96 per cent of rabies cases in humans can be traced back to unvaccinated dogs, while public awareness of rabies and its preventive measures remains low.

Rabies, caused by a virus transmitted through an animal bite, has the second highest fatality rate among infectious diseases in Viet Nam.

Drug traffickers arrested in Ha Noi

Ha Noi police have made two arrests after catching a group of heroin smugglers red-handed in a dramatic operation yesterday morning, Oct 18.

One smuggler managed to escape while the other two men were arrested on Pham Van Dong Street. Law enforcers seized nearly 2kg of heroin, two knives, three cell phones and VND6 million (US$290) in cash.

The arrested have been identified as Cao Thuong Hai, 43, a resident of Tan Long ward in Thai Nguyen city, and Nguyen Thi Muoi, 42, from Tran Nguyen Han ward in Bac Giang city.

Police Captain Nguyen Van Cong was injured while capturing the criminals.

Police are continuing their investigation and the search for the escaped smuggler.

VNN/VOV/VNS