In 2003, medical examinations of all 19,884 people living in to the Cat Dai and Lach Tray communes in Hai Phong detected 198 handicapped people (1.0% of the general population). There were 45% of males and 55% of females. The handicapped rates were 0.8% in children and 1.2% in adults. The rate of handicapped people difficult in moving was highest (33.3%), then people with strange behaviors (23.2%), and people having difficulty in studying (15.7%). The rates of people had difficulty in hearing and speaking, seeing, and others were small. Up to 91% of handicapped people needed rehabilitation but 100% of the handicapped people were not provided with rehabilitation through interviews, over 50% of people in the community did not identify the handicapped, and were not ready to accept them as equal members.
Disabled Persons ; Awareness

In 2004, this study was carried out at 5 commune health stations at Van Son, Ngoc Hai, Ngoc Xuyen, Van Huong wards and Bang La commune. The results revealed that only the health station of Bang La commune met the national standard for commune health with 90.5 points. Most communes had not achieved standard III (on disease diagnosis and medical treatment and rehabilitation activities), standard IV (on facilities and medical equipment) and standard VI (on traditional medicine). Factors causing drawbacks at these commune health stations include shortage of human resource, material facilities and equipments.
Public Facilities ; Health ; Epidemiology ; Health Facilities

Forty-six heads of health stations in Vinh Bao and Tien Lang – Hai Phong City were interviewed to evaluate knowledge, skill and practice in managing the primary health care work based on already designed questionnaire by using the cross – sectional study. There were only 8.7% of heads of health stations who knew to combine 3 factors: norms from higher level, needs from community and health stations’ capacity to finish plans. There were only 17.4% of them knowing how supervision and evaluation are. Health service information management was still weak both on quality and quantity. Reasons resulting to weak primary health care management: - Heads to health stations need to be trained adequately about management. - Administrative subsidies based on norms directed from the higher level were an obstacle to make plans. - Retraining of cadres about knowledge, practice and skill on the primary health care was not frequent
Primary Health Care ; Epidemiology ; Knowledge

With a cross- sectional study was conducted on morbidity of people in Binh Dan and Lien Hoa communes, Kim Thanh district Hai Duong province in 2003. The rate of morbidity was 31.26%; in those, the rate of people infected with one disease was 24.64%, two diseases were 5.48%, three diseases was 1.11%, four diseases was 0.02%. Frequency of morbidity is 40.64%. Classification of morbidity: rate of ophthalmic diseases group was highest: 12.15%, the diseases of respiratory system: 8.93%, the diseases dento-oral: 6.71%, the diseases cardiovascular system: 6.23%, the other diseases group was low. The ophthalmic diseases: the rate of trachoma disease is the highest: 5.45%. The diseases of respiratory system: chronic sore throat: 1.38%; acute sore throat: 1.96%; acute tonsillitis is 1.84%; chronic tonsillitis is 0.86%, the rate of lowed respiratory is low. The dento-oral diseases: dental caries represented highest: 17%, gingivitis: 1.49%. The cardiovascular: hypertension: 5.96%. The digestive system: gastric and duodenal ulcer: 0.65%; gastritis and duodenitis: 0.65%, chronic colitis: 0.39%, acute diarrhea: 0.17%
Morbidity ; Epidemiology ; Disease

Objectives: The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased, particularly among individuals who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Health literacy is considered a “social vaccine” that helps people respond effectively to the pandemic. We aimed to investigate the association between long COVID-19 and PTSD, and to examine the modifying role of health literacy in this association. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 18 hospitals and health centers in Vietnamfrom December 2021 to October 2022. We recruited 4,463 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 infection for at least 4 weeks. Participants provided information about their sociodemographics, clinical parameters, health-related behaviors, health literacy (usingthe 12-item short-form health literacy scale), long COVID-19 symptoms and PTSD (Impact Event Scale-Revised score of 33 or higher). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations and interactions. Results: Out of the study sample, 55.9% had long COVID-19 symptoms, and 49.6% had PTSD.Individuals with long COVID-19 symptoms had a higher likelihood of PTSD (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63–2.12; p < 0.001). Higher health literacy was associated with a lower likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97–0.99; p = 0.001). Compared to those without long COVID-19 symptoms and the lowest health literacy score, those with long COVID-19 symptoms and a 1-point health literacy increment had a 3% lower likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96–0.99; p = 0.001). Conclusion Health literacy was found to be a protective factor against PTSD and modified the negative impact of long COVID-19 symptoms on PTSD.

The first meeting of the National Control Laboratories for Vaccines and Biologicals in the Western Pacific Region was held on September 1–2, 2016 in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. The meeting objectives were to share results of current research and to promote collaboration between the National Control Laboratories. To this end, we first discussed each country’s current status of research on quality control of biologicals. Next, we reviewed quality control of snake venom and antivenom production and the progress of a collaborative study on the Korean reference standard candidate for snake venom. We also discussed the establishment of the second regional reference standard antivenom and the characterization of the Vero cell genome landscape and its application to quality control. Moreover, we also reflected on the importance of collaboration among interested parties participating in this meeting. In conclusion, the meeting initiated networking between the national control laboratories in the Western Pacific region and paved the way to continue collaboration, which will eventually improve the region’s capacity for quality control of biologicals.
Cooperative Behavior ; Genome ; Quality Control ; Republic of Korea ; Seoul ; Snake Venoms ; Vaccines* ; Vero Cells

The Second Meeting of the National Control Laboratories for Vaccines and Biologicals in the Western Pacific, was jointly organized by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the Republic of Korea, and by the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific. In the National Lot Release Systems session countries including Canada, China, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea, all shared information on their current Lot Release Systems, including current practices and developments in risk-based official lot release of vaccines. In the session on Quality Control of Blood Products, experts from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control shared quality control and research results for; blood coagulation factor VIII products, and the measurement of procoagulant activity in immunoglobulin products. Representatives from Japan proposed a regional collaborative study to test aggregated immunoglobulin free from complement activity. A cell-based Japanese encephalitis vaccine potency assay was proposed by representatives from Korea and they also called for voluntary participation of other National Control Laboratories in a collaborative study, on the first Korean Gloydius anti-venom standard. Participants agreed in general to continue communicating, and coordinate presentation of the study results.
Blood Coagulation Factors ; Canada ; China ; Complement System Proteins ; Encephalitis, Japanese ; Factor VIII ; Immunoglobulins ; Japan ; Korea ; Malaysia ; Quality Control ; Republic of Korea ; Vaccine Potency ; Vaccines* ; Vietnam ; World Health Organization