In the course of the Vietnam-US relationship in the last 27 years, the two countries have had great medical cooperation, including in global health issues. The two sides have coped with long lasting diseases such as tuberculosis and seasonal influenza.

There are emerging diseases that need thorough consideration with prompt and effective action plans. Covid-19 is an example. The two countries are making every effort to both ensure people’s health and help the economy develop despite the existence of viruses. And they are also facing new dangers such as monkey-pox.

Asked about the pillars in medical cooperation that the two countries are focusing on, Dziuban said there are programs related to a number of diseases that the two sides have been working on for a long time, such as HIV and tuberculosis and seasonal flu supervision.

The US not only helps Vietnam diagnose and find cases, but also provides high-quality treatment services with people "put at the center", to be sure that patients can receive the best possible healthcare services.

The US also promotes Vietnam’s healthcare system by cooperating in testing and medical worker training and preparing for emergency cases. In recent years, the two countries have witnessed the importance of being well prepared for public health emergencies.

The US praised Vietnam’s role in the global medical security and medical cooperation in Southeast Asia. 

There are two offices of the US CDC in Hanoi. One focuses on direct relations between the two countries, while the other focuses on issues of the region. Vietnam plays an important role and this is why the offices were set up here. 

The last two years have been a stressful time for all. But the US and Vietnam have created a relationship of mutual trust in the face of emergency. In the first days of the pandemic, Vietnam sent medical equipment to the US when the US desperately needed it. And the US has also done many things to help Vietnam cope with Covid-19. 

It provided 40 million vaccine doses, especially in the first days, when there was a shortage of vaccines.

This was extremely important, especially in the summer of 2021, the most difficult period for Vietnam. And the US and Vietnam are continuing to work together as Covid-19 still exists and new variants have appeared. 

It is necessary to closely monitor the situation and consider the possible impact on Vietnam. The important thing is that people need to continue to get vaccinated to maintain high levels of immunity and prevent another wave of deaths. 

It is now an important moment. It’s good that people now can return to work and children to school.

Unfortunately, humanity is witnessing another global public health emergency: monkey-pox. This is the first time that humanity has seen this virus spreading rapidly over the world. There have been over 45,000 cases reported in 98 countries, most of which did not record any cases in the past. 

Vietnam has not found any monkeypox cases, which means that it has more time to prepare when the disease appears in the country.

“We do not think this disease will become a pandemic like Covid-19. Therefore, there are possibilities to keep the virus under control. But we need to take it seriously and act early to avoid the worst consequences,” he said.

The US CDC is cooperating with the Ministry of Health of Vietnam to cope with monkeypox and the dangers of emerging infectious diseases.

“We are here to help the people and the Ministry of Health of Vietnam deal with monkeypox. I really appreciate the fact that the ministry has promptly acted to deal with monkeypox, and it has not waited until there was a case of monkeypox. That will help Vietnam to be in a better position to respond.

Thai An