VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Health is working on a plan to buy 10,000 personal protective clothing for those facing high-risk exposure to the deadly Ebola virus.

According to Tran Dac Phu, director of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department, the ministry has also made personal protective equipment ready for those working with patients infected with the virus, ones suspected of contracting Ebola, ambulances and chemicals.

The ministry has also assigned the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Hue Central Hospital, Danang General Hospital, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCMC and Can Tho Central General Hospital to treat people found to contract Ebola.

The Ebola disease is a severe illness in humans, so diagnostic tests must be carried out in biosafety level-four laboratories, and laboratory staff must undergo intense trainings and wear proper personal protective equipment.

Vietnam has yet to have any laboratory meeting those requirements. The ministry is coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) to get technical assistance.

However, two laboratories at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute in HCMC have equipment suitable for testing.

The Preventive Medicine Department’s monitoring system of infectious diseases has found no Ebola case in Vietnam so far.

According to the department, 1,975 people in West Africa have since February contracted the Ebola virus, with 1,069 of them reported dead.

Ebola virus transmissible via breast milk

* WHO and the Ministry of Health have alerted doctors to the transmission of the Ebola virus from mothers’ breast milk to babies.

Women suspected of contracting the disease must stop breastfeeding their babies and they must be hospitalized and isolated. Pregnant women infected with the virus could suffer a miscarriage, a preterm birth or bleeding after giving birth.

Health specialists have advised family members to avoid touching clothes, blankets and needles used by Ebola-infected patients.  

There is currently no medicine available to cure the disease but doctors could only alleviate its symptoms. For instance, if patient have a high fever of over 38 Celsius, paracetamol is recommended.

Meanwhile, patients should not take certain medicines such as diclofenac and ibupropen as they could worsen blood clotting.

If a patient faces failures of organs, doctors should maintain his blood circulation, blood pressure and support urination and dialysis.

People suspected of infection must undergo medical check-ups at hospitals and be isolated there, while their medical samples will be sent to a laboratory for PCR (Polemerase Chain Reaction) testing.

They could go home if their temperatures are stable for three consecutive days and having signs of eliminating the virus such as diarrhea, cough and bleeding. In addition, they can do daily activities and are PCR-negative.

Truong Huu Khanh of HCMC Children Hospital No. 1 said the hospital follows guidelines for the treatment procedure from the Ministry of Health as recommended by WHO. This could help health officials master preventive measures, prevent the spread of the virus and facilitate examination and treatment, and minimize mortality, Khanh added.

Nguyen Vinh Chau, director of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCMC, said the hospital had set up an isolation site for Ebola patients and had trained staff to deal with the disease.

Source: SGT