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Global Health Security in Vietnam

Preventing, detecting and responding to outbreaks in Vietnam

CDC supports the Government of Vietnam to leverage existing capabilities and safeguard the country from infectious disease threats. Better prevention, earlier detection, and faster response to disease outbreaks keeps the world safe and secure from infectious disease threats.

  • Vietnam was one of the first countries to formally join the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in February 2014 and is a regional leader at the front-lines for detecting and responding to emerging and re-emerging infectious disease epidemics.
  • In 2015, as part of this collaboration, the U.S. and Vietnam started strengthening an in-country infectious diseases early warning and response system that is increasing the country’s ability to detect and respond to local and global outbreaks.
  • The heart of this system is an interconnected network of emergency operations centers that serve as hubs to collect and analyze disease tracking data and to quickly contain emerging threats. This network enables collaborations both within country and with international partners such as the U.S. CDC in Atlanta.  The first regional emergency operations center opened in May 2016 in Hanoi. This system recently supported monitoring of the Zika outbreak globally and detection of the first Zika cases in Vietnam.

The U.S. Government also works with the government of Vietnam to support development of: the Field Epidemiology Training Program, a tracking system for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, infection control practices, Vietnam’s laboratory infrastructure, and a multi-sectoral One Health approach to detect, prevent and respond to diseases spread by animals.

As a result, Vietnam has made positive contributions toward the prevention and control of avian influenza A (H5N1 and H7N9), pandemic influenza A (H1N1), rabies, SARS, and other zoonotic diseases, and strengthened its cross-border disease control activities with neighboring countries. Vietnam has assumed a global leadership role in the zoonotic diseases component of GHSA.

Contact Information

CDC Media Relations
(404) 639-3286
media@cdc.gov

Spokespersons

Anthony Mounts, MD

“The heart of CDC’s Global Health Security work in Vietnam is strengthening the country’s early warning and response system. We are supporting the building of a network of emergency operations centers that will serve as information hubs for surveillance data that will allow active, real-time monitoring of emerging epidemics, to quickly contain them.

“Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) fellows are the frontline of any strong public health system. When a disease outbreak occurs, such as in the recent Zika virus cases in Vietnam, they are the ‘disease detectives’ that go into the field and investigate the outbreak. Through the program, they receive hands-on training and mentoring to use scientific approaches to identify causes and trends of public health issues.”

Anthony Mounts, M.D., Country Director of CDC Vietnam, Director of Global Health Protection, and Health and Human Services Country Representative

Other Notable Comments

“I cannot think of two countries that have worked harder to bring themselves together and provide a better future for their people.”

– Secretary of State John Kerry

 


 

“They say, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ It will take many nations, working together, to secure the health and future of all of our children. The vitality of Vietnam’s economy is only as secure as the collective health of our people and that is why global health security is so important. Global health security means safer nations and more stable economies.”

– U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Ted Osius at 20th anniversary health cooperation celebration, Oct 28, 2015.

 


“The Emergency Operation Center (EOC) at the Ministry of Health is represented by many sectors including Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Information and Communication, together with international organizations such as WHO, FAO and U.S. CDC. It is a focal point for collecting and sharing information on infectious diseases and outbreaks and providing consultation to the Ministry of Health in coordinating and mobilizing various resources to response to diseases/outbreaks. In the long term, this center will be our focal point for sharing information about other public emergencies affecting people’s health such as natural and man-made disasters.”

– Minister of Health, Professor Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at the Global Health Security Agenda Launch, Washington DC, February 13, 2014

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