After one year study in Hung Ha district (Thai Binh province) and Cai Lay district (Tien Giang province) from November 1997 to October 1998, the experimental active surveillance system was successfully established in both organizational and technical aspects at the study sites. It is proved that establishing the active surveillance system is necessary and useful in terms of controlling effectively outbreak of communicable diseases. It provides the accurate, complete, and punctual data, so that the epidemic control will be performed timely and effectively. This active surveillance system should be expanded to the other sites
Communicable Diseases ; epidemiology

A sentinel surveillance system for communicable diseases, was implemented in Hung Ha district (Thai Binh province) and Cai Lay district (Tien Giang province), by strengthening the existing routine surveillance system: improvement of microbiological investigation and introduction of computerized reporting and information system.
Communicable Diseases ; Nitriles

Epidemic of influenza A H5 N1 virus in humans occurred in South Vietnam from 12/2003 up to now there were 287 suspected cases and 24 confirmed cases, included 20 deaths with case-fatality rate was very high (83.33%). Based on epidemical surveillance and laboratory, we believed that cases usually appear by the end of year and the beginning of the next year at the same time of the winter in North Vietnam, and the dry season in the South Vietnam. It was distributed sporadically in different regions, including highland, urban areas and rural areas of the Mekong delta. Almost of the confirmed cases were young (average 16,17 years old). The rate of ethnic patients with H5N1(+) were high 25%. There has been no evidence of human to human transmission, but there were some risk factors associated with the confirmed cases were: contact directly with the sick/dead poultry (OR=3.39; p=0.034), eating the sick/dead poultry (OR=4.28; p= 0.025), person in family prepared chicken that was sick and died for cooking (OR=5.2; p=0.01).
Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; Viruses ; Epidemiology

A descriptive prospective study of hospitalized Dengue including Dengue Fever (OF) and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) was undertaken in An Giang General Hospital. An Giang Province from April 2002 to May 2003. A first blood sample (BS) will be taken on admission to detect dengue antibody by Elisa (IgM and IgG) and virus isolation. The second BS will be drawn on discharge with the same test. If the patient is discharged before day 10th after the onset of fever, a third BS will be planned, for IgM and IgG too. In the hospital, all patients will be follow-up adequate platelet count and haematocrit. - There is 1009 patient selected (less than 15 years old), 5 DHF deaths due to DHF and 4 deaths due to others. Classification of the Dengue hospitalized cases: DF (28. 5%), DHF (49%) and DSS (10%). - The highest positive IgM rate is belong to DSS patient group (89%) and then DHF, the lowest rate is DF (34%). The virus isolated rate of the DSS patient group is highest (16.8%), and then DF (14.6%). DEN2 is predominant (with 84% of all virus isolated), and then DEN4 (8.8%). - On the admission, there are the overload for Dengue diagnosis. 12% cases with DF/DHF on the admission but they are typhoid fever, measles and viral infection on the discharge. - Clinical and laboratory findings are the more severe (thrombocytopenia and haemoconcentration), the more positive IgM rate and virus isolated. - For the correspondences between DF, DHF diagnosis. Clinical and laboratory findings according to WHO criteria: there are only 22.2% of DHF satisfied 4/4 WHO criteria, 39.2% satisfied 3/4 criteria and ultrasound is the test supported for these DF, DHF cases. - 71% confirmed DHF cases and 26% confirmed DSS cases have not thrombocytopenia and haemoconcentration. - The haemorrhagic manifestation just appear in 46.6% of DHF cases, even if DSS cases, there are only 56.2% cases have got the haemorrhagic manifestations.
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever ; Dengue ; Diagnosis

The study about using water sources in diet in community was performed at 3 provinces of Mekong Delta in January 2002. The total number of investigated households were 1639, the samples were collected by investigating 30 groups method. The investigating about major water source using diet showed that on average, about 70% (35-92%) of households used river water, 17.6% (2.0-48%) used tap water and 10.8% (0-20.8%) used rain water. 40% of points used the river water to supply water with community, far latrine-fishpond from 10m, 26% was closed cattle-breeding cage (under 10m). The river water-processing method was alum accumulation, the pasteurization rate without chloramine was nearly 80% and about 20% of households used non-boiled drinking-water. The rate of households used boring well was very low (2-4%), 10% of households entered using processed river water because they were very poor
Water ; epidemiology ; diet ; Alum Compounds ; Chloramines

A new pilot model - community based campaign for source reduction was implemented in Hoa Loc commune (Mo Cay district, Ben Tre province). Fives campaigns were carried out during rainy season in the year 2002 with strong participation of local authorities, school and other social unions. Fives steps of campaign model included (1) Organizing; (2) Training; (3) Communicating before campaign; (4) Launching campaign; (5) Monitoring and assessing. Results: The entomological index in the implemented communes was lower than communes having participants. A model - community based campaign for source reduction was effective and feasible, at the same time having long effectiveness after 3-4 folds/year
Larva ; Health Promotion ; epidemiology

A community based campaign for larvae reduction was organized in 3 communes Hoa Loc, An Thoi, Tan Trung of Mo Cay district, Ben Tre province in 2002. The results: the model of campaign expressed clearly the effectiveness and feasibility in larvae and mosquitos density’ reduction immediately after implementing. Furthermore, launching three to four campaigns times per year can maintain its effectiveness in long time. To gain the most effectiveness, all methods were urged implementing for changes in people’s behaviours and close combination between government, health training communication and regulations
Larva ; Epidemiology

This study was applied for 1,729 children under 5 years of age selected randomly from Cai Be district, Tien Giang province by 30 cluster method. The overall incidence was 40.5 episodes/100 infants/years, it was highest for infants under 6 months of age (96 episodes/100 infants/years), followed by infants 6 to 11 months of age (84 episodes/100 infants/years). After 24 months of age, it decreased obviously. The duration of diarrhea: the majority of diarrhea episodes were short duration, 86% of episodes lasted from 1 to 4 days, only 0.5% lasted over 14 days. Risk factors associated to the prolongation of diarrhea were: infants under 1 year of age, liquid stool with defecation more than 5 times in 24 hour, bloody stool, using antibiotics more than 5 days, malnutrition and beginning of mixing feeding.
diarrhea ; risk factors ; child

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of rotavirus in diarrhoeal disease of children under five years of age living in the Mekong delta area (1993-1997). ELISA method was applied for detecting rotavirus in stools. The results showed that the identification rate of rotavirus in acute diarrhea cases detected from household visits was 6.5% (32/494 specimens), in acute diarrhea cases hospitalized was 22.4% (15/67 specimens) and in persistent diarrhea cases hospitalized was 11% (10/91 specimens). Rotavirus was also identified in healthy children (0.7%). Rotavirus identification rate was higher in children under 1 year of age than in children over 1 year of age; no difference between malnourished children and normal children; higher in the dry season (November, December, January, February, March).
diarrhea ; child ; epidemiology ; rotavirus

A case-control study (140 cases with persistent diarrhoeal diagnosis and 164 controls) was carried out at the Children Hospital No1 HoChiMinh City, VietNam. All the subjects were interviewed examined and all the information were recorded in a questionaire from Epi-Info was used for the univariable analysis and Egret for multiple logistic regression, 37 factors were studied but only 6 factors were found to be associated significantly with persistent diarrhea (4 risk factors: young infants, use of antibiotic for more than 5 days, no feeding during illness, consumption of water from well; 2 protective factors: breast-feeding, consumption of vegetable oil.
risk factors ; diarrhea ; Infant