Vietnam has detected nearly 500 acute diarrhea cases in 12 northern cities and provinces since early March, of whom over 100 have been infected with cholera.
The patients have come from Hanoi capital, Hai Phong city and the 10 provinces of Ha Tay, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa, Phu Tho, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong and Ninh Binh, local newspaper Saigon Liberation on Tuesday quoted the Vietnamese Ministry of Health as reporting.
Up to 78% of cholera patients ate unsafe foodstuffs such as blood budding, raw vegetables and raw shrimp paste, the ministry said, noting that the high risk of cholera infection in Vietnam is also due to local people's habit of not washing their hands before eating and after going toilet. Only 12% of Vietnamese citizens have habit of washing hands with soaps.
The Vietnamese government has asked localities, relevant agencies and people to focus on monitoring food safety, ensuring environmental hygiene, preparing sufficient pharmaceuticals, and improving public awareness, to stamp out the disease.
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