DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

 

I. Personnel and Organization:

The department has 46 officials with two main sections:

1. Management of national programs consisting of 3 programs:

  • Extended Program on Immunization (EPI)
  • Program for Control and Prevention of Dengue Fever
  • Program for HIV/AIDS surveillance

2. Statistics, Surveillance, and Epidemic Control and Prevention consisting of 4 groups:

  • Statistical Surveillance of Communicable Diseases
  • Control and Prevention of Food-borne diseases
  • Control and Prevention of Air-borne diseases
  • Control and Prevention of Vector-borne diseases

II. Functions and Responsibilities:

·         Guide the surveillance of communicable diseases, particularly those likely to develop epidemic outbreaks

·         Guide the control and prevention of epidemics for the 20 southern provinces of Vietnam Make statistical reports of the diseases stipulated by the Ministry of Health

·         Guide the implemention and management of several national programs on health, such as:

a. Extended Program on Immunization: (implemented since 1981)

  • Carry out routine immunization in connection with immunization campaigns in order to reduce mortality/morbidity of stipulated diseases: poliomyelitis, diphteria, whooping cough, tuberculosis, measles, tetanus, hepatitis B, Japanese meningitis, cholera, typhoid fever
  • Objectives already gained: eradication of poliomyelitis and neonatal tetanus
  • Objectives being enthusiastically striven for: eradication of measles for Vietnamese children by 2010

b. Program for Control and Prevention of Dengue Fever: implemented since October 1991 with general objectives:

  • Decrease mortality
  • Decrease morbidity
  • Control the situation to prevent pandemic
  • Increase public awareness in prevention and control of dengue fever

c. Program for HIV/AIDS Surveillance: implemented since 1981 with the objective of HIV/AIDS epidemiological surveillance:

  • To determine the prevalence and distribution of HIV among groups of population in southern Vietnam
  • To monitor and assess the trends of HIV infection through different periods.
  • To determine high risk groups in order to recommend effective intervention approach
  • To assess risks of transmission and variation of transmission modes
  • To estimate and project HIV infection situation in order to recommend plans for control and prevention

1.       Surveillance

·         Guide and supervision of the HIV/AIDS surveillance system (also include test for confirmation of HIV infection) and detection of HIV cases in southern Vietnam

·         Standardized laboratory, confirmation of HIV positive cases in southern Vietnam

2.       Information, Education and Communication (IEC)

·         Pre and post test counseling

·         Publishing the AIDS bulletin

·         Producing and distributing leaflets

3.       Training

Epidemiology, surveillance, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling for health officials at provincial and district level

 

4.       HIV/AIDS research (epidemiology, biology and behavior)

·         Descriptive studies

·         Interventional studies

·         Clinical trials

5.       HIV/AIDS laboratory

·         1989: HIV/AIDS laboratory of the Pasteur Institute in Hochiminh City (PIHCMC) - the first laboratory in southern Vietnam

·         1990: the first HIV case detected in PIHCMC

·         1994: HIV/AIDS laboratory of PIHCMC accredited as the standardized laboratory of southern Vietnam

·         Sero-diagnosis of HIV: ELISA, Western-Blot

·         HIV isolation, genotype, phenotype: PCR, HMA techniques

·         Lymphocyte count (CD3, CD4, CD8, …)

·        Studies of cellular markers (CD25, CD28, CD45 CCR5, CXCR4) by FACS machine