Situation of some infectious diseases in the North of Vietnam, 2023

Abstract

A cross-sectional study based on secondary data from the infectious disease surveillance system according to Circular 54/2015/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health aimed to describe the situation of infectious diseases in Northern Vietnam in 2023 and propose solutions to improve the effectiveness of surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases. The results showed that in 2023, Northern Vietnam recorded several prominent infectious diseases with high case numbers such as COVID-19 (70,637 cases), diphtheria (56 cases, 6 deaths), dengue fever (58,712 cases, 8 deaths), and hand, foot, and mouth disease (13,773 cases, 0 deaths). Diseases with vaccines available in the expanded immunization program include Japanese encephalitis (86 cases, 1 death), measles (34 cases, 0 deaths), pertussis (43 cases, 1 death), and some zoonotic diseases such as rabies (31 deaths), anthrax (18 cases, 0 deaths) were sporadically recorded. The achievement of polio eradication continued to be maintained. The situation of infectious diseases remained complex, requiring the participation of authorities, inter-sectoral coordination, and synchronization in outbreak surveillance, detection, and control; expanded immunization program; health education communication; and risk assessment.