Although H1N1 is spreading widely in Vietnam, the country has abundant stock of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Vietnam is developing swine flu vaccination regimens specifically for people with high risks like those with chronic diseases, pregnant women, and children, as requested by the World Health Organization (WHO), said Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the ministry’s Preventive Health and Environment Department.

As H1N1 vaccines are now available, WHO plans to send the vaccines’ first batches to Vietnam and other developing countries next month under its support program, according to Nguyen Tran Hien, head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

As of Wednesday, 10,124 cases of H1N1 infection and 23 related deaths had been recorded in the country, the ministry reported, adding 9,437 of these have been discharged after full recovery, while others are still under treatment.

In related news, at a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on the same day, Le Truong Giang – deputy director of the city’s health department, criticized local health agencies for focusing on H1N1 combat so much that they ignored other diseases, leading to widespread outbreaks.

For the last several weeks, hospitals in HCMC have admitted hundreds of patients with the hand-foot-mouth disease for a total of 2,080 so far this year, Giang said, noting that disease has claimed five lives so far.

The dengue fever, meanwhile, has killed ten and sickened nearly 10,000 since the beginning of this year, according to HCMC Preventive Health Center.

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre, VNA