Structure fires break out in HCMC, Hanoi; HCM City hospital confirms toddler suffering from cholera; More young Vietnamese suffering high blood pressure; Local corps to scout Vietnamese talent in the US
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Structure fires break out in HCMC, Hanoi
Two houses, a warehouse, and a factory were completely destroyed in fires in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on April 7 and 8.
At around 9:30 pm on April 7, a series of explosions occurred at Tan Tao Industrial Park in HCMC’s Binh Tan District where plastic bottles of motor oil are produced. Shortly after, fire engulfed the factory.
It took firefighters until after 4 am on April 8 to extinguish the flames, which destroyed the 3,000-square-meter facility, 70 tons of plastic bags, machines and production-line equipment.
The damage is estimated at more than VND20 billion.
Another fire started at 9:30 am on April 8 in a partition between two houses on Doan Van Bo Street in HCMC’s District 4.
It took around 60 firefighters half an hour to put out the blaze, which razed both homes to the ground.
The cause of the fire has been attributed to a short circuit in wiring.
At 2:30 pm on the same day, a large fire also broke out at a glue and paint warehouse, rented by the Dinh Vang Company, in Hanoi’s Ha Dong District.
Around 100 firefighters and seven fire trucks were sent to the scene. After more than two hours, the blaze was put out, but the warehouse had been destroyed completely.
HCM City hospital confirms toddler suffering from cholera
Doctors at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tropical Diseases Hospital have confirmed that the 23-month-old child of a woman earlier reported to be suffering from cholera, has also been stricken with the illness.
Last week, a 25-year-old female from the city’s District 8 tested positive for cholera, the first case of the disease in the city this year.
The mother was taken to hospital on April 3 after suffering from acute diarrhea, fatigue, vomiting and severe dehydration. Doctors discovered that her child was also showing symptoms of the potentially fatal disease and kept the toddler under observation at the hospital.
Medical personnel believe the pair may have contracted the bacterial illness, spread through contaminated food and drinking water, after eating food from a street stall in front of the Hong Bang Junior High School in the city’s District 5. The stall vendor is also now being tested for cholera.
Encephalitis, meningitis striking HCMC children
Ho Chi Minh City hospitals are reporting a sharp increase in the number of children being diagnosed with encephalitis and meningitis due to the recent hotter-than-normal temperatures.
At the Children Hospital l’s Neurology Department of Infection, 15 children have recently been admitted with encephalitis and meningitis. All are currently on breathing machines.
Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, head of the department, said the hospital has seen an abnormal influx in the number of children suffering from the two serious diseases since the Tet (lunar New Year) holiday in February this year.
The number of hospital admissions has also risen faster this week than last. Currently, nearly 60 children are under treatment at the Children Hospital 1, while two days ago there were just 40 children.
HCMC’s Tropical Diseases Hospital, meanwhile, has also reported a spike in the number of childhood encephalitis cases it has seen recently, blaming the occurrence on the sweltering temperatures.
The youngest child suffering from encephalitis in the city a 13-month-old from the Central Highlands’ province of Dak Lak, was brought to the Children Hospital I after suffering convulsions. But after eight days of treatment, the child’s mother says the infant is still far from a full recovery.
Doctors say that if children survive the potentially fatal diseases, there is still a chance they could suffer long-term complications to their nervous systems.
Encephalitis causes swelling to the brain, usually from a viral infection. Meningitis also causes swelling of brain tissue, but can also be caused by a bacterial infection.
Dr. Tran Van Ngoc advises parents to have their children vaccinated against the two diseases at two months old and again when they are one year old.
Parents are also advised to help their children practice good hygiene to prevent such illnesses.
More young Vietnamese suffering high blood pressure
The country has seen an increase in people over the age of 25 suffering from high blood pressure, the Ministry of Health reported on April 6.
Ministry representatives made the announcement during a meeting in Hanoi to launch a program to tackle the problem.
Recent studies by the ministry have revealed that more young people are now suffering from the disease and that there is a higher incidence of high blood pressure amongst urban residents than their suburban counterparts.
The Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen said a program to combat the disease will be carried out in 16 provinces and cities around the country, aiming to raise public awareness of disease prevention measures.
Vietnam to fulfill MDGs on schedule
In 2000, 189 United Nations member countries agreed to obtain 8 millennium development goals (MDGs) by 2015. With two-thirds of that time frame past, Vietnam has made significant achievements.
The eight MDGs are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality and empower women, to reduce child mortality, to improve maternal health, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability, and to develop a Global Partnership for Development.
According to a report on MDGs 2010 made by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam continues to achieve significant results in poverty reduction. The number of poor households has dropped in all regions, and local people’s living standards have improved significantly. The country has also obtained positive achievements in education, training, eradication of illiteracy and the improvement of women leadership in State agencies. The child mortality and malnutrition rates have decreased sharply. Spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases has been gradually controlled.
Vietnam is going ahead with its Agenda 21 to ensure environmental sustainability, increase forest coverage, fully exploit and economically use natural resources, and prevent environmental pollution and degradation. The country has also made great progress in establishing a global partnership for development, implementing an open door policy and actively integrating into the region and the world.
Although the report affirms that Vietnam will fulfill its MDGs on schedule in 2015, it points out two challenges to the country in the remaining time and in the long-term.
The first challenge is to ensure the MDGs are fulfilled for disadvantaged groups, especially ethnic minorities, and the rural and urban poor. The report shows that forward progress in poverty reduction among ethnic minority groups declines slightly while the development gap between rural and urban areas is still too wide. Also the maternal mortality rate is still high among poor and ethnic minority groups.
The second challenge is to make sustainable achievements in implementing MDGs given the fact that the country is suffering from the impact of the economic crisis, fluctuations in food and energy prices and climate change.
Lua Viet opens new tours of Cambodia
The Lua Viet Company will launch several new tours of Cambodia during the upcoming National Reunification Day holiday (April 30) with the support of the Cambodia Ministry of Tourism.
During a tour of Angkor Wat over three days and two nights, visitors will have a chance to attend an international Buddhism cultural exchange at Bayon temple and to explore the world’s wonder of sculpture and architecture.
They will enjoy special pieces on the Buddhist legend performed by art troupes from Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
In addition traditional tours of Siem Reap-Angkor Wat-Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Sambor Preikuk – Preah Vihear, there are scenic tours of ancient temples, pagodas and famous places in 6 Cambodia provinces.
New Year celebration for four Mekong River Basin countries in Hanoi
The Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held an exchange on April 10 to mark the traditional New Year of the four Mekong sub-region countries of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
The event aims to strengthen ties of friendship between Vietnam and the four countries and to welcome the success of the recent 16th ASEAN summit, said HUFO president Pham Xuan Hang.
He said 2010 is an important year as Hanoi and Vietnam are celebrating the 1,000th year of Thang Long-Hanoi, and Vietnam as the ASEAN chair strives to realize the goal of building a peaceful and prosperous ASEAN community by 2015. To fulfill this duty requires support from the people of all ASEAN nations, Mr Hang said.
On behalf of the four embassies, Myanmar ambassador Khin Maung Soe expressed his desire that the ties of friendship and co-operation among the four countries and Vietnam, as well as among friendship unions and embassies, will develop and contribute to peace, friendship and co-operation in the region and the world.
Participants at the event enjoyed musical performances featuring the cultures of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Vietnam to host int’l ministerial conference on influenza
The 2010 International Ministerial Conference on Animal and Pandemic Influenza (IMCAPI) will be held in Vietnam on April 19-21, attracting officials from health and agricultural ministries worldwide.
The conference, supported by the UN, will provide commitment and direction on tackling emerging disease threats.
Participants will have the chance to exchange their experiences in responding to the A/H1N1 and H5N1 pandemics.
The conference, which is organized in coordination with the US and the EU, is expected to work out measures to prevent the extension of the H5N1 avian influenza.
IMCAPI is the seventh international ministerial conference on animal and human influenza since 2005.
Int’l bio-tech seminar held in Central Highlands
An international seminar on bio-technology to serve the Central Highland province of Lam Dong’s socio-economic development took place in Da Lat city on April 9.
The seminar, jointly held by Lam Dong province and the Ministry of Science and Technology, attracted nearly 300 leading bio-tech scientists from domestic and foreign institutes, universities and agricultural production groups.
More than 20 reports focusing on biotechnology in Lam Dong with international research cooperation activities and common issues on bio-tech applications in agriculture, health and the environment were presented at the event.
The reports covered emerging issues in bio-technology, such as the genetic modification of plants and orientations for its application in Vietnam, cooperation with countries like Australia and Italy in agriculture, and bio-technology in controlling diseases among humans and animals.
The participants affirmed the importance of bio-technology for Vietnam’s agriculture, especially in developing vegetables, fruits and coffee trees in Lam Dong.
During the seminar, five Central Highlands provinces, namely Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, signed a memorandum of understanding on bio-tech development for the whole region.
VFF congratulates Khmer people on New Year Festival
President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF)’s Central Committee, Huynh Dam, has sent his best wishes to the Khmer ethnic people on the occasion of their New Year festival – Chol Chnam Thmay.
In his letter of greeting, Mr Dam praised Khmer community’s participation in campaigns and movements launched by the VFF, especially the campaign to support poor people and the movement to boost national unity.
In recent years, the Khmer have made remarkable contributions to Vietnam’s socio-economic growth and rising standard of living, he wrote.
The VFF President also expressed his belief that Khmer monks, Achas and all Khmer people will continue to work towards Vietnam’s goal of a prosperous people, a powerful country, and a fair, democratic and civilised society.
People with disabilities need more help from the press
Vietnamese press agencies need to do more to change social attitudes toward the disabled, according to a workshop being held in Haiphong on April 9-10.
This is no easy task as Vietnam has about 5.4 million people with disabilities, accounting for 6.34 percent of its total population.
The workshop was organized by Labour and Social Affairs magazine and the US organization CRS to examine social attitudes toward the disabled and the media’s coverage of the issue in the hope of providing journalists with some new approaches to the handicapped and their problems.
The Party and State have given much attention to assistance programmes for the disabled and the press has made an effort to portray their difficulties in a responsible manner.
However, a lot more remains to be done, according to Nguyen Trong Dam, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, who attended the workshop. Mr Dam says the disabled should be viewed from a social perspective, with the aim of removing all social barriers against them. The press can play an important role in reducing community prejudice against people with disabilities.
Another A/H5N1 infection case reported in Bac Kan
Bac Kan province has confirmed a second A/H5N1-infection case in Na Tao hamlet, Nhu Co commune, Cho Moi district.
The patient, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thu, 27, visited a bird flu-infected area four or five days before being diagnosed with the deadly virus.
The healthcare centre in Cho Moi district has reported nine suspected cases, eight of them from Na Tao hamlet. All nine showed symptoms of high fever, breathing difficulty and coughing.
The first A/H5N1 case was detected in Bac Kan on April 5. The patient, Trung Van Hoa, 22, was also from Na Tao hamlet.
At present, local authorities and health agencies are intensifying emergency measures to sterilise infected areas and strictly monitor new outbreaks of the disease.
Cho Moi district has been given 700 doses of Tamiflu vaccine and enough medical equipment to ensure that necessary checkups and treatment can be provided to local patients.
Local corps to scout Vietnamese talent in the US
A career conference for Vietnamese employers to discuss career opportunities with high-calibre graduates in the US will be held at the New York University School of Law on April 24-25.
The conference, jointly held by VietAbroader and the New York University School of Law’s Asian Law Society under the umbrella of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations, is expected to draw the participation of dozens of leading US and Vietnamese firms such as Baker & McKenzie, Unilever, British American Tobacco, IDG Vietnam Ventures, HSBC, BaoViet Bank, Horizon Capital, Vietnam Partners, FPT and VinaGame.
According to the magazine “Open Doors”, there were over 12,800 Vietnamese students following US-based courses in the academic year 2008-2009, up more than 46 percent from the previous year.
In the last school year, a record number of Vietnamese were admitted to US schools and Vietnam ranked 9th among countries sending students to the US for study, says the magazine. Many Vietnamese graduates have decided to remain there to work, mostly in finance, banking, law and information technology.
The conference not only helps local businesses gain access to a young, skilled pool of professionals who are well-trained at top US universities, but also helps Vietnamese graduates in the US find job opportunities in their home country.
PV
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