Project adds vital nutrients to daily foods

Micro nutrients like Vitamin A and iron could be included in people's daily meals by adding them to products like powdered spices, fish sauce or cooking oil, to reduce the deficiency of micro nutrients in Viet Nam's population.

The move is part of a US$2.2million project launched on Saturday by the Ministry of Health's National Institute for Nutrition (NIN).

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition funded the project to ensure that the populace gets enough Vitamin A, zinc and iron and other minerals in their daily intake by adding essential micro nutrients to food products.

"Micro nutrient deficiency is one of the major problems to affect the community at the moment. Adding micro nutrients to food is a way we prevent a significant micro nutrient deficiency in the community," said NIN Director Le Thi Hop.

Under the project, food companies will be helped to produce products like fish sauce, soya sauce, cooking oil and powdered spices, fortified with essential micro nutrients such as vitamin A, iron and zinc, during the period 2012-17.

Health experts believe that by targeting rural, mountainous and urban areas, these products could help improve micro nutrient deficiencies in communities around the country.

The project will also be supported by the companies Tuong An Vegetable Oil and Unilever Viet Nam, who will advise and oversee the nutrients being added to a range of foods.

The project will also focus on ways of strengthening the community's awareness of the importance of nutrients and encourage people to use these fortified products.

A national nutrition survey in 2010 showed that mothers and children showed an alarming rate of micro nutrient deficiency.

A lack of iron was found in 36.5 per cent of pregnant women and more than 29 per cent of children under-5 in Viet Nam.

Vitamin A and iodine deficiencies are also still high in the community, especially in the north-west region and the central region and the Central Highlands.

Five injured in level crossing crash

Five people travelling in a 7-seater car were injured after a collision with a train in Duc Yen Commune, Duc Tho District, central Ha Tinh Province yesterday afternoon, Aug 18.

The accident happened at a level crossing, spinning the car turn around. The victims, including a 3 year old boy, were taken to the province's Ha Tinh General Hospital.

Police are investigating the reasons behind the accident.

According to Road and Rail Traffic Department, at the Public Security Ministry, in the first half of this month, 624 traffic accidents were reported across the country, killing 244 people and injuring 364 people.

Quang Nam doctors make baby mistake

Nguyen Van Sach, head of a group of doctors working a night shift at Quang Nam General Hospital, and Dinh Thi My Hang, a midwife, have been reprimanded for incorrectly diagnosing a baby as stillborn.

The hospital will also review leaders of its obstetric department.

Last week, the hospital staff told a mother to take her new-born child home for burial. However, when they got home, the family discovered the baby was still breathing..

Capital told to build bus stations

New bus stations were urgently needed in the capital and the expansion of the My Dinh terminal was a priority to reduce transport station chaos, Ha Noi People's Committee Deputy Chairman Nguyen Van Khoi said.

He ordered city transport planners to find appropriate locations for new bus stations and submit them to the committee by the end of the month. Existing bus stations were to be expanded and modernised.

Khoi also called on the Ha Noi Transport and Services Corporation (Transerco) to speed up the My Dinh project in the wake of many complaints from passengers about disorder and chaos.

The committee decided in 2003 to build the My Dinh station on 3.5ha of land by 2010 but the area at present was only 2ha.

Transport Department Director Khuat Viet Hung blamed the My Dinh mess on having smaller area than planned, an increasing number of passengers, inefficient management, unscientific bus scheduling and weak information technology applications.

Hung ordered the capital's Department of Transport to co-operate with the Directorate of Roads and other transport departments to rearrange inter-provincial bus schedules at My Dinh station before December 31.

Meanwhile, Ha Noi's plan to transfer 352 buses from the busiest bus terminus to other terminals before August 15 had been unfeasible, Transerco General Director Nguyen Phi Thuong said.

So far, only 91 buses that ran from the station to northern Hoa Binh Province had been transferred to Yen Nghia Station in Ha Dong Distict, and 61 buses on the Ha Noi-northern Thai Nguyen Province route had been transferred to Nam Thang Long.

Thuong said when transport companies relocated, procedures took a lot of time. They had to re-register their routes, sign contracts with new stations, announce the changes to passengers and print new tickets and invoices.

15 fishermen on Cyprus ship saved

The Vietnam Maritime Search & Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) successfully rescued Cyprus’RBD BOREA container ship with 15 fishermen on board on August 17.

The ship’s cargo chamber was on fire on Vietnam’s waters, 5 nautical miles from the Haiphong’s Buoy No1.

Soon after receiving information about the blaze, the MRCC contacted RBD BOREA, guiding the crew to distinguish the fire and sent SAR411 ship to rescue the crew.

Two hours after the incident happened it was basically stamped out and 15 crew members were safe.

 Currently, SAR 441 is driving RBDBOREA to the anchorage.

Minister calls for war against bird flu as outbreaks hit Asia

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has instructed relevant authorities to strengthen oversight to prevent the spread of bird flu from across borders.

In an urgent dispatch, Phat said Chinese health authorities have confirmed that the H7N9 strain of the disease killed 45 people in that country.

According to Cambodian health authorities, two more people recently contracted H5N1 bird flu, raising the total number of infected people this year to 16, and 11 of them have died.

Outbreaks have occurred in several provinces along the border with Viet Nam, he said.

Besides, smuggling of poultry and poultry products into the country through borders is on the increase, causing a high risk of the disease spreading.

Under the circumstances, the ministry has ordered relevant agencies to take drastic measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

It has also urged local authorities to ban the slaughter, transport, and distribution of smuggled poultry products, and review and organise poultry vaccination, especially in high-risk provinces like those along borders and with a lot of poultry farming.

The ministry said more than 26,000 quails with bird flu were recently destroyed in Tien Giang Province near HCM City.

The Department of Animal Health has supplied one million doses of bird flu vaccine to the province to help contain the disease.

Over 2,000 houses for Can Tho’s poor households

The Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) has constructed 2,010 houses worth a total exceeding VND50 billion for poor households in Can Tho province.

Can Tho City People’s Committee Vice Chairman Le Hung Dung commended Vietinbank for supporting the less fortunate.

He summarised the recent efforts of Can Tho authorities to obey central Government policy in stabilising the economy, protecting social welfare, and addressing the concerns of local businesses.

Its social welfare activities have enjoyed significant support from the city’s banks and businesses.

At a concurrent presentation ceremony on August 17, municipal representatives presented certificates of merit to 6 organisations and individuals recognised for their notable contributions to implementing social welfare projects.

Panama saves 4 Vietnamese sailors

Four Vietnamese sailors who jumped overboard as their ship passed through the Panama Canal were successfully rescued, officials in Panama announced on August 16.

The Panama Canal Authority ACP identified the sailors as Le Duc Chinh (22 years old), Dao Ngoc Trung (27), Tran Van Duong (21), and Ho Tranh Tung (30).

Panama’s National Air and Navy Service is temporarily accommodating the rescued sailors. They have expressed their desire to return home as soon as possible.

In 2007, Panama police rescued six Vietnamese crew from the same waters after they abandoned their Taiwanese ship to escape employer abuse.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA