A student of the Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon Culture, Arts and Tourism College is examined under quarantine in Hanoi

The Ministry of Health on Friday ordered local health agencies to set up makeshift clinics whenever there are 20 people or more in the same place infected or suspected of being infected with the H1N1 virus.

These facilities can close only after no new cases have turned up for seven consecutive days.

Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the Ministry of Health’s Bureau for Preventive Health and Environment, said the ministry is considering enforcing stricter preventive measures in provincial localities with community-level outbreaks.

He recommended that residents keep away from the crowds to prevent further spread of the disease, after a group of teachers and students from Ho Chi Minh City taking a trans-Viet tour were infected with the virus on the way to Lao Cai Province in the north.

The Ministry of Health reported 63 new H1N1 cases nationwide Friday, raising the country’s tally to 1,363 with two deaths. Of the total, 339 patients are still being treated under quarantine.

The ministry also held a meeting Friday to review the treatment process for the two deceased patients, one in Khanh Hoa Province and the other in HCMC.

The HCMC Department of Health reported Friday 21 new H1N1 cases to raise the city’s total infections to 808 cases.

In Binh Duong Province, the Medical Center of Di An District Friday confirmed a student of the HCMC University of Technology had tested positive for H1N1. The 19-yearold student was taking a class on national defense at a facility of the Vietnam National University-HCMC.

The student was among three new cases detected Friday in Binh Duong Province while neighboring Dong Nai Province confirmed two new cases on the same day.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Friday reported 221,829 people have contracted the H1N1 virus, known also as swine flu, in 168 countries and territories, 1,906 of whom have died.

Other countries in Southeast Asia have also reported an increase in H1N1 cases, including Thailand with 97 deaths among 10,043 cases, the Philippines with eight deaths among 3,207, Singapore with 10 deaths in 1,217, Malaysia with 51 deaths in 1,780, Indonesia with three deaths in 691 and Laos with one death in 156

Source: Thanh Nien, Agencies