Vietnam has so far this year detected 4,533 cases of acute diarrhea infections, of whom 722 have been tested positive to cholera virus, local newspaper Youth on Monday quoted statistics from the country's Health Ministry as reporting.
Since the beginning of this month, up to 390 people, mainly in northern provinces, have suffered from acute diarrhea infections. Most of them used unhygienic foodstuffs and used substandard toilets.
The ministry said it is difficult to completely contain cholera because cholera virus strain, which has stricken Vietnam since late last year, has mutated so that it can live longer in environment.
According to Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the existing strain, currently hitting such Asian countries as Vietnam, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh, is the combination of the "classical" cholera strain and the El Tor strain.
Local residents are advised to keep clean, particularly by hand washing with soap before handling food and after going to the toilet; separate raw and cooked food; especially high-risk food like raw meat, poultry and seafood; cook food thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; and use chlorinated or boiled water for consumption and for cleaning of raw food.
Source: Xinhua
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