The Hanoitimes - Deputy director of the Office of Global Affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Ms Holly Wong visited Vietnam to meet with representatives from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), international NGOs, and Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Hanoitimes - Deputy director of the Office of Global Affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Ms Holly Wong visited Vietnam to meet with representatives from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), international NGOs, and Vietnam ’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Her visit is part of a tour of the region to learn more about how countries are putting in place strategies to control and prevent the transmission and spread of influenza and other zoonotic diseases across Southeast Asia . According to a press release issued by the US Embassy to Hanoi on June 19, Ms Wong talked with international and local health experts to gain insight into the epidemiological and economic impacts of influenza across Vietnam . She also saw how the Vietnamese government is working with partners including CDC, to respond to the threat of infectious diseases such as influenza. “I’m very excited to be in Vietnam , a country that is recognized globally as meeting the challenge head-on for the control and prevention of influenza and other zoonotic diseases. This successful cooperation and collaboration between US and Vietnamese agencies, and other partners, is important when dealing with diseases such as influenza A/H5N1 and other influenza viruses with pandemic potential”, she stated. Vietnam is one of the nations affected by the avian H5N1 strain of influenza A virus, with 123 confirmed human cases including 61 deaths since reporting began in December 2003. Besides, it was one of the many countries affected by the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 pandemic virus. Although government leadership has helped control outbreaks, concerns remain about the ability of the virus to evolve. While in Vietnam , Wong visited a poultry market in the capital Hanoi to see an example of an environment where animals and humans come into close contact, and where infectious diseases like influenza may be more readily transmitted to humans. She also visited a Hanoi-based children’s hospital that is part of a CDC-supported national influenza surveillance system. Since 2005, the US has been the biggest bilateral donor for influenza-related activities in Vietnam , contributing over 70 million USD. KTD |