During her four-day visit to Vietnam, starting on March 15, to mark 25 years since the CDC Vietnam country office opened, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) praised the partnership with Vietnam and expressed her desire to strengthen the collaboration in public health the two countries have established.  

Walensky said that on the first day of her visit, she signed a letter of intent with the Vietnamese Ministry of Health in which the CDC is committed to the development of a Vietnam National CDC.

The coming Vietnam National CDC will enable Vietnam to coordinate its response in health emergencies with a trained workforce, a data and disease surveillance system, and a laboratory system so that it can detect a public health threat when it happens.

Vietnam is linked to global health security, according to Walensky. 

“So much of the work that we do together is in global health security. We recognize and want to do the important work of protecting the people of Vietnam. We also recognize that a threat anywhere is a threat everywhere and we work together to prevent those threats all over the world,” she stressed.

In 2021, the CDC opened a new regional office – Southeast Asia (ASEAN) Regional Office based in Hanoi.

The office will take lessons learned in Vietnam to places in ASEAN where the CDC does not have a large, robust country office and Vietnam can play a role as a leader in public health. 

The CDC has cooperated with Vietnamese partners in providing field epidemiology training programs for decades to prepare for the next public health threat.

Dr. Eric Dzuiban, Vietnam country director for the CDC who was at the meeting along with director Walensky, shared that the overall number of people attending this training was still lower than the mark Vietnam wants to see and the international standard it wants to meet.

Different levels of training have been provided such as year-long and shorter courses to meet the needs of more practitioners. 

Regarding future threats, Walensky said that experts in the field anticipated that future pandemics would be influenza.

The CDC is constantly on the lookout for influenza as well as avian influenza and the animal-human interface.

As for COVID-19, Walensky believed the CDC in the U.S. and in Vietnam will continue to work together regardless of whether the pandemic is a pronounced public health emergency or it is scaled down.

People should continue to be vaccinated and to get their level of immunity up against the virus, she recommended. 

“Our work continues with the same importance and vigor and dedication as to whether or not there is a public health emergency. We recognize COVID-19 is still with us. There are still people with infection. There’s still vaccination that can be delivered. Our work and commitment continues,” she stressed. 

As no one can tell whether a new more invasive and aggressive variant will come, Walensky believes that working collaboratively is the answer to protect public health and to train the next generation of public health workers. 

The CDC has worked to support global health for over 60 years with a goal to create a world where people — in the U.S. and around the globe — live healthier, safer, and longer lives.

The CDC has a global presence and extends to over 60 countries where the organization is working to address global challenges such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, influenza, tuberculosis, and more.

The CDC Vietnam country office was established 25 years ago in 1998.

The first cooperation was to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vietnam.

That partnership continues today and has saved many Vietnamese lives by engaging with the Ministry of Health alongside local and community partners.

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Check out the news you should not miss today in Vietnam:

Society

— A 15-month-old baby succumbed to brain injury after receiving oresol in concentrated solution to treat diarrhea, doctors at Vinh Phuc Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in northern Vietnam said on Wednesday.

— Police in Hanoi are investigating a case where a chemical soldier of the Vietnam People’s Army died at his military base earlier this week.

— Two people died at the scene as a truck driver hit a motorbike and ran away in Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam on Wednesday afternoon.

— Two people were killed and two more were hospitalized after their automobile collided with a truck in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Wednesday.

— Dozens of passengers were injured when a bus tipped over after slamming into a truck in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province, south-central Vietnam on Wednesday night.

Lifestyle

— In honor of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, 500,000 colorful LED lights were installed to create a dazzling light garden at the Bach Dang Wharf Park in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

World News

— “The geology of Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island has fascinated scientists for years, but the discovery of rocks made from plastic debris in this remote turtle refuge is sparking alarm,” Reuters reported on Wednesday.

— “The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their stakes in the popular video app or face a possible U.S. ban,” the company told Reuters on Wednesday.

— “An atmospheric river dumped more torrential rain on California on Wednesday, forcing evacuations, power outages and road closures, while the remnants of a powerful Nor’easter blizzard buried much of upstate New York and New England under snow,” according to Reuters.

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A special education center in Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam has been temporarily shut down following the circulation of a video on social media showing two staffers at the center physically restraining a boy and pinching his nose to force him to eat.

The video, which has gone viral on social media since Monday afternoon, has sparked public concerns.

The video shows a person holding the boy’s hands and pinching his nose, while the remainder sat on his legs to spoon-feed him, ignoring the boy crying.

The case occurred at Tam An Special Education Center in Dinh Bang Ward, Tu Son City, Bac Ninh Province.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dinh Bang Ward led an inspection team to the center to clarify the case but the owner of the center was absent. 

At the center, Nguyen Thi N., who sat on the legs of the boy, named V.H.D., declared that the case happened in November last year.

N. added that G., the manager of the special education center, assigned her and C., a former staffer at the center, to take care of D. and feed him.

Through a phone call, the inspection team asked Duong Thi S., the center owner, to work with it on Tuesday morning. Vi Van B., the father of D., also attended the meeting.

Vi Van B. affirmed that the boy in the video is his son, V.H.D., born in 2019. The boy, who is autistic and suffers from speech delay and loss of appetite, has been taken to Tam An Special Education Center since June last year.

B. added that D. has not been frightened when being picked up from the center. After studying at the center, he has shown positive improvement, especially showing affection to his parents. 

B. was angry that his son’s image was uploaded to social media but he did not require holding Nguyen Thi N. responsible for her act. 

At the meeting, the People’s Committee of Dinh Bang Ward requested S. to suspend the education of special children at two campuses of her center in Dinh Bang Ward, send a report on the case to the ward and relevant agencies prior to 4:00 pm on Tuesday, and coordinate with the relevant agencies to deal with the incident.

The People’s Committee of Dinh Bang Ward also suggested the Tu Son City People’s Committee impose heavy sanctions on those involved in the case in line with the law.

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