Occupational diseases in Vietnam in 2016 – 2020

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine occupational diseases (ODs) recorded in health facilities in 63 provinces of Vietnam in the period of 2016-2020. A total number of 2,120 ODs cases were found, 91.7% of which are among male workers. The over-40 age group has the highest rate of ODs. 65.7% of the employees with ODs have more than 10 years  of occupational exposure. The percentage of employees suffering from deafness caused by noise is highest (59.5%), followed by other pneumoconiosis (17.1%) and silicosis (11.9%). However, the rate of decline in working capacity among patients with pneumoconiosis and silicosis is much higher than that of patients with occupational deafness. Intervention programs for prevention and control of occupational diseases in Vietnam should continue to focus on both deafness and pneumoconiosis.