Objective: To investigate the cause of a foodborne outbreak that occurred in Dong Nai province, Viet Nam, in 2024, and implement control measures. Methods: An initial investigation was conducted to confirm the outbreak, which was followed by epidemiological and environmental investigations to find the plausible causative food item. Clinical specimens and food samples were tested to identify the pathogen. Results: A total of 547 symptomatic cases were recorded, of whom two were in severe condition requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and ventilation, one of whom died. Among 99 interviewed cases, the mean incubation time was 9 hours (range 2–24 hours), with the main symptoms being fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. All patients had eaten banh mi from a local bakery. Salmonella spp. were identified in food samples and clinical specimens. The bakery halted production, and the outbreak ended after 1 week. Discussion: All the patients were exposed to only one food in common, which facilitated the investigation process. This outbreak is a reminder to small retailers and take-away shops of the importance of food safety management in preventing similar future outbreaks. All food handlers must comply with food hygiene principles, especially in hot temperatures, which boosts bacterial growth.

Background: Avian influenza (AI) is a contagious disease that causes illness and death in poultry and humans. High pathogenicity AI (HPAI) H5N6 outbreaks commonly occur in Quang Ninh province bordering China. In June 2021, the first HPAI H5N8 outbreak occurred at a Quang Ninh chicken farm. Objectives: This study examined the risk factors associated with HPAI H5N6 and H5N8 outbreaks in Quang Ninh. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted in Quang Ninh from Nov 2021 to Jan 2022. The cases were households with susceptible poultry with two or more clinical signs and tested positive by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The controls were households in the same village as the cases but did not show clinical symptoms of the disease. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess the risk factors associated with HPAI outbreaks at the household level. Results: There were 38 cases with H5N6 clade 2.3.4.4h viruses (n = 35) and H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses (n = 3). Compared to the 112 controls, raising poultry in uncovered or partially covered ponds (odds ratio [OR], 7.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44–39.27), poultry traders visiting the farm (OR, 8.66; 95% CI, 2.7–27.69), farms with 50–2,000 birds (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.06–8-51), and farms with ≥ 2,000 birds (OR, 11.35; 95% CI, 3.07–41.94) were significantly associated with HPAI outbreaks. Conclusions Combining biosecurity measures, such as restricting visitor entry and vaccination in farms with more than 50 birds, can enhance the control and prevention of HPAI in Quang Ninh and its spread across borders.

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ SELF-PERCEIVED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has stated the critical importance of addressing the mental health care needs of students. With the abrupt and extensive changes brought about by the pandemic, such as lockdowns and shifts to online learning, students worldwide faced significant psychological challenges. This context led to a comprehensive study focusing on Vietnamese students, aiming to understand their perceptions of mental health amidst these unprecedented times. The research specifically targeted the initial lockdown phase, seeking to describe the prevalence of mental health issues and identify the factors contributing to these problems among students in Vietnam. By examining these aspects, the study aimed to provide insights into the mental well-being of students during a major global crisis. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1889 students in North and South Vietnam from 30 August, 2021 to 5 September, 2021. Socio-demographic information was collected via an online survey and the SF-12 Mental Composite Score (MCS) was used to assess self-perceived mental health problems. The study results show that the prevalence of selfperceived mental health problems, defined by an MCS<1st quartile, was 21.9% (95%CI: 20%-23.8%) among students during the COVID-19 lockdown. Regression models indicated that the following factors were significantly related to self-perceived mental health problems: Female sex, not living with family, financial difficulty, decreased health status, decreased academic performance and decreased social relationships during the COVID-19 lockdown. The study showed that many factors related to student’s self-perceived mental health problems during COVID-19, affecting a significant number of students. Suggestions for teachers and university administrators were also discussed. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 25 (8) October, 2024;1-9.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF STUDENTS AT HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM Abstract Objective: Today’s life with changes in many aspects has brought people significant advantages and conveniences, but at the same time it has also caused physical and mental consequences for each person, especially mental health problems. Science has had many studies showing the impact of mental health on the quality of life, work efficiency, learning outcomes, etc. Therefore, when facing mental health problems, individuals need help to overcome the psychological problems they are facing to have healthier and more positive mental health. The scope of this study refers to the need for mental health care of students at Ho Chi Minh City Open University. Methodology: This study, based on theories of mental health, models and solutions to support mental health care, we built a questionnaire with 05 groups of basic needs to help students improve their physical and mental health for healthy mental health. Specifically, the care needs for self-satisfaction; The care needs for healthy emotional expression; the need to care for satisfaction in relationships with others; the full care needs are able to maintain a stable psychological state in life and the care needs for improving the ability to cope with difficulties in learning and working. After completion, we conducted a pilot survey on a small sample to check the reliability of the questionnaire and calibrate the scale. With an alpha coefficient of 0.98-meaning that the scale has a high reliability coefficient. Results: The mean score results show that all 05 groups of needs included in the study are of interest to the subjects and all have a desire to be met. Specifically: (1) The care needs for self-satisfaction has an mean score of 3.13 and a standard deviation of 0.73, a high level of need on the rating scale; care needs for expressing healthy emotions has an mean score of 3.45 and a standard deviation of 0.58, a very high level of need on the rating scale; the care needs for satisfaction in relationships with others has an mean score of 3.34 and a standard deviation of 0.65, a very high level of need on the rating scale; the full care needs are able to maintain a stable psychological state in life has an mean score of 4.42 and a standard deviation of 0.60, a very high need level in the assessment scale and the care needs for improving the ability to cope with difficulties in learning and working has an mean score of 3.19 and a standard deviation of 0.74, a high need level in the assessment scale. Conclusion: The research results show that students of Ho Chi Minh City Open University have a very high level of mental health care needs. Students clearly show mental health care needs in all the contents that need to be cared for. Among the component needs of mental health care needs, the need that students pay more attention than the remaining needs is the full care needs are able to maintain a stable psychological state in life. The need that students care less about than the remaining needs is the care needs for self-satisfaction. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 25 (10) December, 2024; 1-13.

Although the need for social and emotional development has existed for decades, implementing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools continues to get considerable attention as newer generations enter the educational system. The demand for development is presently increasing daily. No one challenges the significance of social-emotional learning and the influence of organizations on adolescent development today. Social-emotional learning matches accurately with the priorities in modern schools. In Vietnam, quantitative research was conducted on 350 high school students. This research aimed to determine how students evaluate the implementation of the Social-emotional learning model in soft skills education. The results revealed students’ interest in implementing the social-emotional learning model into soft skills education. In addition, the results indicated the obstacles to implementing the social-emotional learning model in soft skills education. This study’s findings suggested that school leaders and background educators should implement the social-emotional learning model and support, monitor, and evaluate program efficacy to ensure program objectives are reached and students acquire social and emotional abilities. In addition, the study suggested that specific strategies are necessary to limit the factors that prevent the implementation of the social-emotional learning model in high schools.

Numerous studies have also revealed that students with a high level of Nomophobia have an increased risk of depression. However, few researchers are interested in examining how the association between nomophobia and depressive symptoms mediates loneliness and self-control. This study aimed to investigate, among Vietnamese High School Students, the association between nomophobia and depressive symptoms, specifically focusing on the role that loneliness and self-control play as potential mediators of that relationship. The Nomophobia Scale (NMP-Q), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), The UCLA loneliness scale version 3 (UCLA III), and The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) were completed by 556 Vietnamese high school students. Using the PROCESS macro, mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between variables. According to our findings, nomophobia was positively associated with symptoms of depression, and loneliness and self-control partially mediated this relationship. It is suggested that methods for preventing claustrophobia and depressive symptoms be taken seriously in order to increase self-control and decrease loneliness.

Geographical and racial factors constitute important distinctions between Kawasaki disease (KD) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), but no study has been conducted in Vietnam. Forty-one children with KD from January 2018 to July 2020 and 42 with KD/MIS-C from August 2020 to December 2022 were included in this study. Of the patients, 52.3% were aged between 12 and 35 months. Only two were aged over 5 years, and both were belong to the KD/MIS-C group. A 59.5% of the patients were male. Apart from fever, all symptoms tended to be more frequent in patients with KD/MIS-C. The prevalence of diffuse skin rash, hand and foot edema or erythema and gastrointestinal signs was significantly higher in patients hospitalized with KD/MIS-C. There was no significant difference in laboratory findings between the two groups. Coronary artery dilation was more frequently observed in patients with KD/MIS-C compared to those with KD (40.5% vs. 14.6%, P = 0.009).

Background: Hypertension is one of the dangerous chronic diseases. In the treatment of hypertension, controlling blood pressure to achieve treatment target is paramount to prevent dangerous complications and death. The study was conducted to identify the percentage of hypertensive patients who do not achieve treatment target among outpatients at the internal medicine clinic, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, and explore some related factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 403 hypertensive patients treated as outpatients at the internal medicine clinic. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the related factors. Results: 46.4% of hypertensive patients did not reach the treatment target. Factors related to uncontrolled hypertension were male, non-religion, comorbidities, no reduction in salt intake, the use of coffee/tea, and non-compliance with medication (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The rate of patients with uncontrolled hypertension was still high. The health sector should consider establishing an outpatient management team; strengthening communication activities and advice on diet and drug use in parallel with medical examination and treatment.

As authorities braced for the arrival of the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), infrastructure investments and government directives prompted action in central Viet Nam to establish capacity for genomic surveillance sequencing. From 17 November 2021 to 7 January 2022, the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang sequenced 162 specimens from 98 150 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in the region collected from 8 November to 31 December 2021. Of these, all 127 domestic cases were identified as the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, whereas 92% (32/35) of imported cases were identified as the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant, all among international flight passengers. Patients were successfully isolated, enabling health-care workers to prepare for additional cases. Most (78%) of the 32 Omicron cases were fully vaccinated, suggesting continued importance of public health and social measures to control the spread of new variants.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and subsequent lockdowns impacted the mental health of numerous sociodemographic groups globally. This crisis can produce stress, overwhelm, and powerful emotions in susceptible people, especially older persons. Our study examined the relationship between well-being and fear of COVID-19 among older persons residing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during the pandemic. A sociodemographic survey was undertaken. Two scales are used for a month of the COVID-19 outbreak: the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). We surveyed 158 senior citizens in Ho Chi Minh City between February and April 2021. There was no lockdown in Ho Chi Minh before the fourth wave of infection. Despite this, citizens have maintained high compliance with coronavirus prophylaxis. Sociodemographic data were described using descriptive statistics. A one-way MANOVA assessed the financial impact on older individuals' well-being. The Pearson correlation was employed to find the link between happiness and COVID-19 dread. During the COVID-19 pandemic, older persons who received various monthly allowances had statistically significant emotional and psychological well-being differences. There was no association between well-being and COVID-19 dread. The COVID-19 epidemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable groups. Older individuals are a risk population that requires material and mental care.