All relevant Vietnamese agencies and localities have implemented the government and the Ministry of Health’s directions on the control, detection and warning of the deadly disease after the first cases were discovered in Mexico more than a month ago.

Since April 25, nearly half a million passengers entering Vietnam have been scanned for high temperatures. Many suspected cases have been quarantined for testing and treatment. Everything under control until the first positive case was detected on May 31 and another two on June 1.

According to the HCM City Municipal Department of Health, the two newly-detected cases on June 1 did not have any contact with the first confirmed case on May 31.

Five relatives of the first discovered case tested negative for the deadly virus. The taxi driver who drove the patient from Tan Son Nhat airport to his home, together with quarantine staff and medical workers who came into contact with the patient were examined at home. The patient’s neighbours were also asked to undergo medical examination by local doctors.

Despite such a great effort, there are still loopholes in the country’s prevention work.

Firstly, every day, more than 10,000 people enter Vietnam through nearly 20 border gates – an overloading of work for quarantine workers, particularly at airports. More dangerously, passengers who have contracted the flu in the first two or three days could spread the deadly virus to others even though they do not have high body temperatures. 

Secondly, it takes time to wait for the test results to see whether or not a passenger has contracted the virus. The first confirmed male patient was a case in point. Before being quarantined at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, he had travelled around HCM City visiting shopping malls, restaurants and churches. In addition, nearly 200 passengers aboard the same flight with him already went back to their homes in 23 provinces and cities across the country. Only HCM City informed its medical centres of the passengers’ names, asking for them to have immediate medical check-ups. However, no news has been reported so far.   

Thirdly, the provision of information about this dangerous epidemic is inconsistent and ineffective. Some newspapers got mixed up when reporting on the two cases detected on June 1, saying they were a father and child. In fact, they were a mother and child. Three days have elapsed since the flight landed in HCM City and most passengers have already returned home. Local administrations and media agencies have still not released any official information to help curb the epidemic from spreading to the community.

There is no doubt that the super flu epidemic is at risk of spreading to the wider community. The Ministry of Health has sent 15 inspection teams to vulnerable localities and established a hotline to receive any information about people showing suspected flu symptoms. It has also prepared a certain amount of Tamiflu - the only effective drug to treat flu patients to date. It has also considered asking the World Health Organisation for an additional supply of Tamiflu in case of emergencies.

To prevent the epidemic spreading, people living with or near infected patients are advised to fully observe the medical sector’s regulations. If they have high temperatures and breathing difficulties, they should go to the nearest medical centre for examination and treatment. They are also advised to protect themselves from infection by washing their hands before taking meals and keeping their houses and the surrounding environment clean.