Swine streptococcus kills one more man

One more death because of swine streptococcus bacterium was reported in the Tropical Disease Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on September 16.

According to the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, people infected with swine streptococcus are at the risk of death but every year medical clinics in the country admit hundreds cases.

Doctors at the hospital said the 35 year old man from the Mekong delta province of Ben Tre was infected with the streptococcus bacterium, which caused respiratory decline, blood contamination, and severe necrosis in their arms and legs.

Before being transferred to the Tropical Hospital in HCMC, he was treated in the province's hospital where diagnosed him to be infected with swine streptococcus bacterium.

Doctors of the city's hospital examined and confirmed the patient was shocked,  septicemia, meningitis and multiple organ failure because of swine streptococcus bacterium; accordingly, despite doctors' concerted efforts to save him, he died, said Dr. Nguyen Van Hao, head of the Intensive Unit of the hospital.

According to the patient's relative, the man might eat uncooked pig blood pudding. The hospital announced this is the third deaths because of swine streptococcus bacterium. Additionally, 7 others luckily escaped the death after receiving treatment in the hospital.

The National Tropical Diseases Hospital in Hanoi recently admitted two men infected with swine bacteria after eating raw pig’s blood. The first patient is 51 year old Vu Quang M in Hoang Mai District in Hanoi who usually drink and has pig blood pudding. Later he suffered breathing problem and fever. He was hospitalized only when his legs have blood spots.

The National Tropical Diseases Hospital said that it has admitted hundreds cases infected with swine bacterium every year and many of them died because of multiple organ failure. People contract Swine bacterium through directly contact with the animal or eat uncooked pig meats and they are at high risk of death, said Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine.

To avoid the swine bacterium, the Department of Preventive Medicine warned farms to clean farms and wash hands and body with soap carefully after contact with the animal. People should absolutely eat uncooked pig blood pudding or pig products.

Cold snap to bring heavy rains, flooding

A cold snap will affect northern provinces today and cause heavy downpours for the next several days, the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has said.

Flash floods and landslides are a possibility in ten mountainous provinces, including Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Bac Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lai Chau and Son La.

Other cities and provinces at risk of flooding are Ha Noi, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Hai Phong.

Healthcare receives $130 million injection

The First Program Implementation Workshop in the framework of the EU-funded Health Sector Policy Support Program Phase II (HSPSP 2) was held on September 18 by the EU Delegation to Vietnam in cooperation with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

The workshop, co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Health, Associate Professor Pham Le Tuan, and the Head of the Cooperation and Development Section of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, Mr. Alejandro Montalban Carrasco, was a high level dialogue on future improvements to the health of Vietnam’s population and on securing access to health services.

More than 100 participants representing MoH, MoF, the State Treasury, Vietnam Social Security, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, as well as ten targeted provinces and international development partners working in Vietnam health sector attended the workshop.

The major objectives were to familiarize stakeholders with the contents of the Phase II Sector Reform Contract, disbursement criteria, and operational modality. Based on the lessons learned from the implementation of the HSPSP Phase I, provincial authorities were also advised on the priority actions and programs for budgetary allocation under the Sector Reform Contract II.

HSPSP 2 will be funded by the EU with total capital of $130 million, of which $114 million will go directly to the budget of the MoH, $6.5 million will be in complementary technical services provided through the European Union Health Facility (EU-HF), and the remainder contributed by the “Health Professional Education and Training Project (HPET)”, implemented by the World Bank. The project focuses on ten provinces: Lai Chau, Son La, Dien Bien, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, and Dak Nong.

The phase is expected to start from December and last for 78 months. It will be divided into two periods. The first will be the implementation of the project over 54 months and then a two-year period for evaluating and assessing implementation.

The $114 million going to the MoH’s budget will be divided into $45.6 million in fixed tranches and the remainder in variable tranches, the value of which will be assessed by eight indicators. These indicators mostly focus on assistance to the poor, infants, and pregnant women.  

“After evaluating the first phase, we will adapt most indicators due to the efforts of the MoH, other ministries, and provincial authorities,” Deputy Minister Tuan said. “The variable tranches will promote the initiatives of provincial authorities in assigning specific staff for implementing the project.”

The EU Health Facility was established by the EU Delegation to support stakeholders in achieving targets defined in the HSPSP 2 in Vietnam in line with EU policies. It contributes to the reporting of the MoH and the EU Delegation on HSPSP 2 tranche disbursements and further responds in a flexible and rapid manner to the need for short and medium-term expertise and the research and training of various stakeholders in different health policy areas.

Russian Social Institute seeks enhanced ties with Vietnam partner

The President of the Russian Social Institute, Alexander Bretralov has expressed wish to enhance cooperation with the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF).

At a meeting with the VFF Vice President and Secretary General Vu Trong Kim in Moscow on September 18, Bretralov said it is now a good time for the institute to visit Vietnam and open up new cooperative ties with the VFF.

The VFF Vice President, who is in Moscow to attend the General Assembly of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS), agreed that the relations of the two organizations should be broadened in the future.

He suggested the first potential issue for cooperation should be the re-organisation of Vietnamese workers in Russia.

The Vietnamese delegation, led by Kim, joined representatives from civilian organisations in 72 countries at the AICESIS General Assembly in Moscow from September 17-18.

The AICESIS was formed in 1999 with the aim of facilitating the sharing of experience for peace, security, democracy and human rights. The organisation also helps with the foundation of economic and social councils all over the world.

Statue of President Ho Chi Minh inaugurated in Mexico

A statue of President Ho Chi Minh was inaugurated at the Vietnamese Embassy’s headquarters in Mexico on September 18 as part of activities to mark Vietnam’s major celebrations.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Ambassador Le Linh Lan described the construction of the statue as a practical action to pay homage to the late President, particularly in 2015 when the nation celebrates the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, and the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Mexico.

The diplomat called on the Vietnamese community in Mexico to follow the beloved leader’s example and make all-out efforts to fulfill assigned tasks, contributing to consolidating the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

Earlier, a statue capturing President Ho Chi Minh working in the Presidential Palace was placed in a park in Mexico City in 2010 and another was unveiled on Miguel Aleman Avenue in Acapulco city in 2009.

HCM City: 46,000 job vacancies available for third quarter

Ho Chi Minh City’s enterprises need around 46,000 workers, including 9,764 temporary ones, for the third quarter of 2015, according to the city's Centre for Human Resources Forecasting and Labour Market Information.

According to Vice Director of the centre Tran Anh Tuan, the need for skilled workers and staff accounts for 62.4 percent of the total demand.

Around one quarter of the available jobs are in marketing-sale, while 17.35 percent are in the service sector, he said, adding that transport, import-export, IT, tourism-restaurant-hotel, and real estate sectors also have great demand.

Local businesses are paying attention to perfecting their staff in preparation for the accelerating integration process, particularly with the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of this year, according to the centre.

National employment programme reviewed

About 800 job fairs have been organised nationwide since 2011, through which approximately 8 million job seekers were provided with consultation and job vacancies and 3 million of them actually found employment as a result.

The information was revealed at a conference to review the National Target Programme on Employment and Vocational Training in the 2012-2015 period held in the central province of Binh Thuan on September 18 with the participation of representatives from job placement centres and labour departments of 32 provinces in the southern region.

As of 2015, the programme has accomplished the goal of raising the ratio of workers recruited via job placement centres to 37.89 percent, said Doan Mau Diep, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs.

However, the number of labourers benefiting from job-creating loans provided by the National Employment Fund in the period only reached 57 percent of the plan’s goal of 700,000-800,000, he added.

At the conference, representatives also discussed issues related to the labour market and employment that are likely to arise when Vietnam participates in the ASEAN Community by the end of this year.

The formation of the ASEAN Community is expected to create a free flow of skilled labourers in the region, which will pose certain challenges to the Vietnamese workforce which is lagging behind many regional countries in terms of professional skills.

Orientations for labour market development and unemployment insurance in the 2016-2020 period were also tabled for discussion.-

ASEAN Youth Forum wraps up in HCM City

The ASEAN Youth Forum 2015 concluded in the city on September 18 by an art programme featuring cultural performances by participating ASEAN countries and the announcement of the forum’s joint message.

A series of in-depth discussions throughout the forum contributed to enhancing solidarity and mutual understanding, particularly in terms of culture and history, among ASEAN member states.

In the joint message, the forum recognised ASEAN cultural identities as a foundation for common interests of the Southeast Asian region and expressed an ambition to achieve an integrated ASEAN community with “One vision, One identity, One community”.

Youth attendees affirmed their responsibility for fostering activities connecting people and raising awareness of ASEAN cultural identities among young people.

They also agreed to preserve and promote the values of ASEAN cultural heritages by improving youth awareness of the region and its history, cultural diversity and religions.

The three-day forum, hosted by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s municipal chapter, brought together 36 delegates from seven ASEAN member states, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Lao Cai launches 7th bridge crossing Red River

The People’s Committee of the northern mountainous Lao Cai province on September 18 held a ceremony to inaugurate the Giang Dong bridge connecting Nam Cuong and Van Hoa communes of Lao Cai city, the seventh bridge crossing Red River located in the province.

The bridge of six spans, 498 metres in length and 14 metres in width, was constructed with a total investment of 360 billion VND (16.3 million USD).

The project, completed three months ahead of schedule, is one of the seven infrastructure projects to celebrate the 15th provincial Party Congress for the 2015-2020 tenure.

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Vinh praised joint efforts by Lao Cai city’s authority, investor, contractors and involved parties in ensuring the project’s safety and progress.

He hoped that the bridge will serve as a catalyst for the socio-economic development of the city and the province.

Vice President Doan meets Lao students

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan on September 18 met 40 Lao students representing more than 9,000 Lao students studying at 150 universities and academies in Vietnam.

The Vice President hailed the academic achievements by Lao students and hoped them strive for even better results in order to serve the building of a strong and prosperous Laos.

She advised Lao students to improve their knowledge and foreign language skills to be capable of competing in the international environment in the context of the formation of the ASEAN Community at the end of 2015.

The Vice President asked the Ministry of Education and Training as well as universities and lecturers to create the best possible favourable conditions for Lao students.

On the occasion, the Vice President also presented 100 million VND (4,545 USD) to the Lao Embassy’s Study Promotion Fund.

12 bodies recovered from fishing boat exploding off southern Vietnam

The bodies of 12 deceased fishermen along with three survivors have been taken to the mainland after a fatal blast shattered a fishing boat off a province in southern Vietnam this week.

The Vung Tau Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (Vungtau MRCC) on September 19 afternoon brought ashore the bodies and the survivors of a fishing boat explosion which happened on Septembr 16 off Con Dao Island of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, some 120 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.

Three has remained missing so far.

According to the survivors’ accounts, a fishing vessel numbered BV 9799TS was heading toward the shore on September 15 when its engine failed.

At midnight, the engine resumed operation.

The boat captain ordered Tran Van Khoa, Nguyen Van Dien, and another man named Doan, who made it through the ordeal, to raise the anchor so the boat could continue its itinerary.

These three survivors recounted they then heard the others on board yelling they had smelled leaking gas.

Out of a sudden, there was a deafening bang, followed by two others.

The explosions tossed everyone aboard into the sea.

The survivors added they then spotted a crew member named Linh, who was in flames all over, jumping into the water before completely disappearing.

They also pulled five others, who were critically injured, so that they could hang onto a fishing net afloat.

These five wounded crew members loosened their grip and gave up one by one out of exhaustion by Wednesday morning.

At 6:00 pm the same day, Khoa – one of the survivors – saw a fishing vessel from afar and summoned all his remaining might to swim toward it.

The boat scooped him up to safety while another fishing boat also came to Dien and Doan’s rescue.

Receiving distress calls, the Vungtau MRCC immediately launched concerted search and rescue efforts, which were joined by the owner of the distressed boat.

On September 19, the bodies of the 12 deceased crew members were retrieved.

They were handed to their grieving relatives on Saturday, except for one that is on the way to shore today.

Search is ongoing for the three missing crew members.

Luong Truong Phi, vice director of the Vungtau MRCC, said the three survivors, though remaining distraught, are in stable health conditions.

Khoa, 45, is still overwhelmed and grieving over the loss of his son and younger brother in the blast.

Nguyen Xuan Sang, head of the Vietnam Maritime Administration, affirmed that based on the survivors’ accounts and preliminary investigation results, the accident was triggered by a gas explosion aboard.   

Around the time of the accident, the sea was gusty, hampering search and rescue efforts.

Le Thi Beo, 62, who lives in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, burst into tears receiving the body of her 46-year-old son.

Her 62-year-old husband remains lost at sea.

She added out of the 14 fishermen hailing from her commune who were on the boat, nine are dead and another three are missing.

Its youth traffic safety month in HCM City

More than 2,000 young adults kicked off an action month to spread the safe driving message on September 19— pledging to make this the safest month ever in Ho Chi Minh City.

Throughout the month, youth will be sponsoring activities to raise awareness about how to keep young drivers and passengers safe on city streets and the importance of wearing safety helmets.

At the event, representatives of five Departments of Education and Training in the southern region signed commitments with the Ministry of Education and Training to implement goals to ensure traffic safety.

In addition, Honda Vietnam distributed free of charge more than 2,000 helmets for city youth at the ceremony.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Health, each year 1,900 children are killed in traffic accidents across the country, accounting for 24-26% of total children deaths.

Fair promotes Vietnam fashion

The annual Vietnam International Fashion Fair is running in HCM City's Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The five-day fair was organised by the Vietnam National Textile & Garment Group and Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association in co-operation with the Vietnam Leather & Footwear Association.

The organisers hope the fair will help local garment companies develop new partnerships and promote sales at home and abroad.

The event has attracted 100 Vietnamese garment companies with 200 stalls presenting their latest garments, footwear and accessories.

Leading garment makers have presented high-quality products at seven fashion shows.

The opening day saw the latest casual wear collections made of cotton, chiffon and wool for Viet Tien brands VIETTIEN KIDs and T-UP for women.

The Garment Company No 28 showed its luxury brand Belluni collection at the nightly show on the catwalk. It offers suits for businessmen made of natural fabrics like cotton, cottonspun and bamboo/silk.

Other collections from Nguyen Dung, Phong Phu, Len Ha Noi and Tokuni will be shown on following days. They will showcase pyjamas and casual clothes, using the latest materials, techniques and design technologies.

Several activities for young designers, including a design contest and fabric painting designs, are scheduled as well.

An inspection team from the Ministry of Health led by Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long yesterday arrived in the southern province of Dong Nai which have many cases of dengue fever infections to direct the disease prevention.

It is reported 30,000 dengue fever infection cases in 50 cities and provinces across the country in the middle of September. Amongst them, the southern provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long An and Ho Chi Minh City are leading with most cases of infection and deaths. The disease killed 18 people. General hospitals in provinces are overloaded with more hospitalized patients and the number of dengue fever spiraled every day.

Dr. Huynh Minh Hoan, director of the Department of Health in Dong Nai said ath since the beginning of the year, the province recorded over 4,500 cases of infections, an increase of 1.6 times compared to the same period last year. Currently, 9 out of 11 districts in province have reported outbreaks of dengue fever.

Arriving at residential blocks in No.4 in Trang Dai Ward of Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai, Deputy health minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that inhabitants are negligent in dengue fever prevention. People's awareness of preventing the disease is poor as they do not cover water container and waster such as boxes and bottles containing water thrown around the houses which offer good condition for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

Mr. Long said that all local governments and the health sector in Dong Nai must be more determined in prevention. In September, Dong Nai must spray chemicals to kill mosquitoes and organize movement to destroy water containers.

Hand, foot and mouth disease possibly spread in schools

It is likely that the hand-foot-and mouth disease spread in schools, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health yesterday issued a warning on the disease.

As per the warning, to limit the risk of contracting the disease in schools, the Department said that school management board should increase information of prevention to teaching staffs, parents and students.

Parents are advised to practice good hygiene, including hand washing, to lower the risk of getting sick. Teachers should instruct pupils how to wash their hands thoroughly with soaps before eating and after using toilets.

The infections of hand-foot and mouth disease usually increase from March to May and from September to December.

Eight provinces collect health insurance for 15 months

Vietnam Social Insurance said schools in only eight localities have so far collected health insurance premiums from students for a 15-month period.

The agency revealed the number after the public had voiced concern over an increase in health insurance premiums for students in the 2015-2016 academic year.

At a conference on health insurance for students in Hanoi Wednesday, Pham Luong Son, head of Vietnam Social Insurance’s Health Insurance Policies Implementation Department, said the insurance payment for a period of 15 years months has been deployed in Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Phuoc, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, HCMC and Haiphong.

However, the authorities of HCMC have told schools to collect health insurance premiums from students every six months or every 12 months.

Son said the 2015-2016 school year is the first year the revised law on health insurance has come into force with two basic changes, including a premium increase from 3% to 4.5% of the minimum wage for students.

He said the insurance premium is VND51,000 (US$2.67) per month or VND612,000 per year. With the Government covering 30% of it, each student will have to pay over VND430,000 for such health insurance.

However, the law regulates that the insurance is mandated to last one calendar year and the new school year starts in September, so students have been asked to buy insurance for the final three months of this year and the whole 2016 in some localities.

Tran Dinh Lieu, head of Vietnam Social Insurance Collection Board, said the agency has suggested the ministries of health and finance regulate the health insurance premium collection from students every three, six months or 12 months.

Nguyen Thi Minh Thu, Deputy Minister of Finance and general director of Vietnam Social Insurance, said the health insurance for students is essential.

 In other countries, students have to pay for health insurance when they start to go to school and the premiums are very high.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri