Pink-eye disease put under tightened control

Accordingly, the Pasteur Institute and municipal and provincial health departments were asked to tighten their inspection on disease hotbeds, especially in kindergartens and schools. 
Attention should be paid to educational activities, particularly keeping personal hygiene, in order to prevent the disease from spreading out, the department said. 

Local health departments were urged to stand ready to provide medicines, facilities and timely assistance to localities and units in dealing with outbreaks. 

Meanwhile, the Pasteur Institute needs to keep a close watch on and increase technical support to localities in handling the disease, the department added.

Over the past few days, eye hospitals in Hanoi have received an increasing number of patients suffering from pink-eye disease. 

The Hanoi Eye Hospital and the Eye Hospital in Ha Dong district reported nearly 1,200 cases over the past ten days. 

To prevent the disease spreading, medical stations and schools in Hanoi have taken part in communications campaigns. Many schools warned students and their parents to apply preventive measures, while allowing infected students to stay at home to avoid spreading the disease. 

Experts said that it is necessary to keep personal hygiene and wear glasses to protect eyes.

People should clean their eyes with salt water regularly and wear glasses or masks when they're outside, said deputy director of the Hanoi Eye Hospital Trinh Thi Bich Ngoc.

Regarding reports about a shortage of medicine to treat the disease, the Hanoi Department of Health said that the city still had enough medicine for patients.

In addition, the department has requested local hospitals and clinics to consult, examine and treat patients as quickly as possible.

Besides Hanoi, the disease is also spreading in the central province of Nghe An and the southern provinces of Tra Vinh and Soc Trang.