HCMC – Dengue fever control and prevention requires not just clinical and preventative methods but also efforts from both the public and private sectors, heard at a conference on enhancing the effectiveness of dengue prevention in HCMC.
The Pasteur Institute in HCMC joined hands with Takeda Pharmaceuticals Asia Private Limited to organize the “Orientations and Solutions to Enhance Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Prevention Effectiveness in Vietnam” conference on September 28.
Chaired by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, the conference brought together over 100 attendees, including healthcare professionals from the ministry, the World Health Organization (WHO), the HCMC Center for Disease Control, Children’s Hospital 1, and other medical facilities and vaccination centers nationwide.
The conference featured several presentations from health experts on a variety of topics, such as the new interventions for the dengue fever prevention, the situation of dengue fever in HCMC, crucial factors in reducing mortality rates, and development pathway for a new vaccine intervention.
The event also featured a focused roundtable discussion, delving into the current dengue situation in Vietnam, chaired by Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, former Minister of Health, and attended by distinguished panelists who are experts in the health sector.
According to Associate Professor Nguyen Thanh Hung, director of the Children’s Hospital 1, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever still poses a major threat in Vietnam and globally, with the potential for large outbreaks and severe health and economic consequences.
Professor Hung said: “It is crucial to have close cooperation between treatment and prevention systems. Public awareness campaigns about dengue are essential for effective prevention measures such as mosquito control and vaccination when an effective vaccine becomes available.”
Dr. Luong Chan Quang, acting head of the Department for Disease Control and Prevention at the Pasteur Institute in HCMC, said: “Alongside the current measures, it’s vital to incorporate dengue control models that employ advanced scientific methods in countries with similar climatic and epidemic conditions as Vietnam, such as Indonesia and Thailand.”
The experts from the conference alluded to the need for a sustainable and long-term solution to prevent and control dengue fever in the country, with greater efforts from both the public and private sectors.
