Ten hurt in crash in Ba Ria-Vung Tau; Ha Noi bans transport of uninspected livestock; Pakistan donates computers; Dengue fever on the rise; VFF contributes to maintaining social order. Ten hurt in crash in Ba Ria-Vung Tau

A crash between a bus and the truck injured a truck driver and nine passengers on Sunday afternoon in Ba Ria Town in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

The bus careered into a nearby stream after the crash.

The injured were taken to Ba Ria General Hospital.

Police are still investigating.

Ha Noi bans transport of uninspected livestock

The Ha Noi People’s Committee has asked offices to tighten inspection and other measures to prevent foot-and- mouth disease re-emerging in the city.

The disease has re-emerged in seven provinces nation-wide and is possibly spreading, the committee says.

Offices were urged to co-operate to crack down on the transport and trade of unquarantined cattle and to improve the environmental hygiene in slaughterhouses and sheds.

Pakistan donates computers

Ambassador of Pakistan to Viet Nam, on behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan yesterday presented two sets of computers to the Disabled Children Relief Centre in Son Tay District, Ha Noi City.

The embassy said this was as a humble contribution to improve the centre’s capacity in looking after the disabled children.

Dengue fever on the rise

Health experts have raised concerns about the recent increase in the number of dengue fever cases in the central region, more than one month past peak season.

Dr Pham Hung Chien, director of the Da Nang Health Department, said August and September were typically the peak time for dengue fever outbreaks but patients continued to crowd hospitals.

More than 250 dengue fever cases had been diagnosed in the city’s hospitals during the past two weeks, raising the total cases to about 3,000 since early this year, a six-fold increase over the same period last year, Chien said.

A report from Da Nang General Hospital shows that the facility receives between 20 and 30 patients per day, which has forced people to share the limited number of beds available at the facility.

About 80 per cent of the patients have been young adults and children, and 150 patients are in serious condition, reports the municipal Preventive Health Centre said.

“I have lived here for 10 years, but I have never seen so many mosquitoes,” said Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan, a resident who lives in Thuan Phuoc Apartment.

She added that her family burned incense and used electric fans around the clock to kill mosquitoes. Her two nieces were hospitalised with dengue fever several days ago.

Nguyen The Sinh, a representative from Quang Ngai Preventive Health Centre, said more than 130 outbreaks had been found in the province with nearly 2,800 confirmed dengue fever cases, four times higher than the same period last year.

On average, about 100 dengue fever patients have been hospitalised each day for treatment. Quang Ngai City reported the highest number of patients at close to 1,000.

Sinh said unusual weather and low public awareness contributed to the increase in cases.

VFF contributes to maintaining social order

The Vietnam Fatherland Front has contributed greatly to raising public awareness of the importance of preventing HIV/AIDS and maintaining social order, said the Vice Chairwoman of the VFF Central Committee, Ha Thi Lien.

Mrs. Lien stated this a conference on October 19 reviewing the VFF’s five-year participation in the nation’s programme to prevent drug crime, prostitution, and HIV/AIDS.

She said that over the past five years, the VFF at all levels has organised 250,000 talks for 12 million people on the need to prevent drug crime, prostitution, and HIV/AIDS.

The VFF has also opened 20,000 mailboxes and 22,000 hot lines through which the authorities were informed of 1.6 million suspected cases to combat drug-related crime human trafficking in time.

It has also worked with the police to establish more than 650,000 community security groups and night-time watches which play a key role in encouraging people to take an active part in preventing crime and other social evils.

The participants in the conference came up with various measures to improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the VFF and its member organisations as well as its communications work.

They also shared their experiences in building models to combat drug crime and prevent HIV/AIDS as well as launching many such as campaigns like the “Day for the Poor” and “People building a cultural lifestyle in residential areas”.

VNN/VNS/VOV