An ambulance boat that the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham) gave to Phung Hiep District, Hau Giang Province, southern Vietnam in August last year has yet to be put to use.

Dong Hoang Tho, director of the Phung Hiep Medical Center, on Wednesday said that the boat has been left to sit due to the fact that there is currently no captain, though someone has just been appointed to the position and is now enrolled in a ship piloting course.

Tho added the ambulance boat is expected to be used during the flooding season.

AusCham in August handed over the ambulance boat to the Phung Hiep People’s Committee in order to help transport patients, especially those living in hard-to-reach neighborhoods, to safety.

The boat worth VND700 million (US$29,668) is 5.4 meters long and can carry four people at a time.

It is Hau Giang’s first ambulance boat.

Tran Khong Dan, vice-chairman of the Phung Hiep People’s Committee, told Tien Phong (Youth) newspaper that the boat has not needed to be used yet because most patients in need of emergency care have been accessible by ambulance. 

Dan also noted that there is currently no captain for the boat.

The district plans to put the ambulance boat to use soon, Dan added.

Regarding the possibility of giving the ambulance boat to another locality in need of the vehicle, Ho Thu Anh, vice-chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Hau Giang, said the province will discuss the idea with the district authorities.

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Hanoi has logged 548 new cases of chickenpox so far this year, with the most recent 70 infections recorded just this week, according to statistics from the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC).

There have been no deaths linked to the ongoing outbreak.

Chickenpox is on the rise compared to last year, and many of the patients are preschool and elementary school students, which respectively account for 36.5 percent and 38 percent of the total infections.

So far, 18 out of Hanoi’s 30 districts have been affected by the outbreak, with Chuong My, Me Linh, Ba Vi, and Nam Tu Liem Districts having each detected over 30 cases.

In the outlying district of Chuong My, the local medical center had reported five clusters of 237 chickenpox cases as of March 21.

In Ho Chi Minh City, children’s hospitals citywide said that they have recorded normal rates of hospital admissions and treatment linked to chickenpox.

However, as chickenpox cases tend to surge between February and June, parents should ensure their children are vaccinated and that their children’s play areas are kept clean. 

Chickenpox cases could continue their upward trend over the next several weeks as Hanoi eases into spring, according to the Hanoi CDC, which also stated that local citizens should be aware that other infectious respiratory diseases such as the flu, measles, and whooping cough typically spread during this time of year.

Chickenpox is a contagious disease caused by varicella-zoster virus and can affect people of all ages.

It is typically spread from person to person via direct contact. It can also be spread through saliva and daily practices, like sharing utensils.

It takes 7-21 days after exposure to the virus for someone to develop symptoms of chickenpox, which include a mild fever, runny nose, cough, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, and an itchy red rash which covers the body with fluid-filled blisters.

Healthcare specialists advise chickenpox patients to take a bath as normal, regularly wash their hands with soap, refrain from sharing utensils with others, and keep their houses and workplaces clean.

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Thirty-one students at an elementary school in Vietnam’s Central Highlands had symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and nausea after being given balloons by strangers.

The incident was recorded at Ly Tu Trong Elementary School in Buon Trap Town, Krong Ana District, Dak Lak Province.

Among the 31 students, 17 were admitted to the district medical center, five of whom received transfusions, a representative of the Krong Ana District Office of Education and Training said on Thursday morning.

The other 14 are being monitored at home.

Doctors diagnosed the children with poisoning, but the cause is unknown.

Currently, the health of the poisoned students is stable.

According to the report of Ly Tu Trong Elementary School, four strangers, including three women and one man, were giving balloons to students in front of the school on Wednesday afternoon.

This group of people was then asked to leave by a security guard.

About 30 minutes later, many of the students who had been given the balloons began to show signs of dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, and nausea.

The students were then taken to the school’s medical room and the case was reported to local authorities.

Authorities are investigating the incident.

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