Infectious diseases discussed at Hanoi int’l conference

This is an English version of the article I posted here yesterday.

10/30/2012
Medical experts from 13 Asian countries gathered at an international conference in Hanoi on October 30 to discuss measures against infectious diseases.

The event was organized by the Asian Network of Major Cities in the 21^st Century (ANMC21), which includes Hanoi, Bangkok, New Delhi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, Tomsk, Ulaanbaatar and Yangon. It aimed to build a sustainable cooperative network for improving public health and preventing the spread of communicable diseases in the region.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health, Nguyen Thanh Long, stressed the need to create close links among regional countries in order to deal with environmental pollution and newly-emerging epidemics that have already claimed many human lives.

Diseases, such as SARS, A/H5N1 influenza and hand-foot-mouth disease, have hit many countries in the region and around the world, resulting in many deaths, he added.

Delegates at the conference focused on finding effective measures to curb tropical diseases and post-calamity epidemics, as well as providing intensive treatment for TB patients and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Since the ANMC21 network was established in 2001, its members have taken turns organizing annual events to seek out solutions for tackling urgent issues in the region.

They have coordinated closely with each other to organize training courses and conferences in a bid to stamp out epidemics and contagious diseases.