Rubella outbreak occurs at company in southern Vietnam

Rubella outbreak occurs at company in southern Vietnam

Health authorities of the southern province of Binh Duong are coping with a rubella outbreak that has occurred at a company, with 153 suspected cases, 20 of which have been tested positive for the virus.

>> UNICEF program against measles – rubella launched in Vietnam

On Tuesday afternoon, the provincial health department held a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute to work out measures to cope with the rubella outbreak at Wanek Furniture Co. Ltd., a foreign-invested business, in My Phuoc 3 Industrial Park in Ben Cat town.

The first suspected case of rubella, which is an acute, contagious viral infection, was recorded on January 2 in a female worker, T.T.H.N, 21, hailing from the southern province of Soc Trang, according to a report from the department.

By Tuesday, the number of suspected Rubella cases had risen to 151, health authorities said, adding that these patients include two pregnant women.

Among the 29 patient samples that have been tested, 20 were confirmed to be infected with Rubella.

Most of the infected people have been found in the cutting and sewing workshops.

Experts from the Pasteur Institute and the provincial health department conducted a survey at the workplace and the rented houses of workers and concluded that the epidemic has broken out and spread through the company’s working environment.

Today, January 28, the Pasteur Institute and the health department will provide free vaccinations against rubella and measles for nearly 1,600 workers at the company.

The rubella virus is transmitted by airborne droplets when infected people sneeze or cough, health experts said.

The Pasteur Institute asked the provincial health authorities to make examinations to detect signs of rubella in other industrial parks in the province.

In order to prevent the spread of epidemic, those who have contacted rubella patients should stay away from others at least 1.5 meters and take other preventive measures, the institute said.

The symptoms of rubella include a rash and swollen lymph nodes around the neck and head, according to the UK’s National Health Services (NHS).

As well as a rash and swollen lymph glands, people with rubella may also develop other symptoms, including fever, cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat and cough; slightly sore and red eyes; aching and painful joints; loss of appetite; and tiredness, the NHS said.

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