Many Vietnamese suffer from occupational diseases

Many Vietnamese employees are infected with occupational diseases, mainly cardiovascular ones, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Wednesday.

Up to 10.6 percent of workers of 10 surveyed Vietnamese and foreign-invested enterprises in the industries of railway, cement, steel, leather and tourism suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

A recent survey by the country's National Cardiovascular Institute also indicates that 14.8 percent of employees, mostly aged above 50, have high blood pressure. Some 37.9 percent of the surveyed people suffer from headache, and 35.9 percent from dizziness, and breathing difficulty and vision impairment.

Female laborers in the footwear industry are prone to diseases relating to bones, muscles and joints due to uncomfortable sitting posture and repeated arm movements.

Public servants working in air-conditioned offices are more likely to have headache and dizziness due to narrow working space and insufficient ventilation. Migraine is common among staff having to work for many hours in front of computers, said the survey.

Vietnam is focusing on improving working conditions, intensifying medical check-ups, and raising awareness of local employees about labor safety.

Source: Xinhua