The Ministry of Health has asked localities bordering China to keep a close watch on immigrants and prevent illegal transport of poultry into Vietnam.

The move came after a new strain of bird flu virus A/H7N9 broke out in China, killing 5 people to date.

In an interview to VOV, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long warned the virus could easily be carried into Vietnam by travellers through both countries’ border gates. 

He urged Vietnamese people to keep a cool head by applying some effective preventative measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), such as washing their hands with soaps before meals and after using the restrooms and preparing food, especially raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

They should not consume non-quarantined poultry or that of unknown origin, he said.

On April 4, the Deputy Minister checked the avian influenza H7N9 prevention work at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

He asked the Center for International Health Quarantine in Hanoi to work closely with the police, customs officers and veterinarians to constantly use the body temperature sensors for checking passengers.

They were also urged to establish quarantine areas, information desks and hotlines for visitors to provide information on the disease.

Any suspects will be promptly isolated and their blood samples will be taken for diagnosis. The patients will be carried to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases for treatment.

So far, no visitors with suspicious symptoms of the flu have been found at the airport.

VOV