Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia join hands to fight Ebola

Representatives from the health sector of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have agreed on a joint action programme to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, particularly Ebola, through their shared aviation and land ports of entry.

Representatives from the health sector of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have agreed on a joint action programme to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, particularly Ebola, through their shared aviation and land ports of entry.

People's body temperature is monitored at Moc Bai border gate in Tay Ninh.

The agreement was reached at a November 4 workshop in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh, during which the sides also reviewed the implementation of border quarantine agreements which Vietnam signed with Laos in 2001 and with Cambodia in 2006.

Under the action programme, the three countries will conduct compulsory quarantine on 14 diseases, including nine particularly dangerous infectious diseases in group A such as dengue fever caused by Ebola virus and influenza caused by virus strains A/H5N1 and A/H7N9, and five diseases in group B which includes diphtheria and malaria. The three sides agreed to ask their health ministries and localities to regularly exchange disease information by email, help one another improve the quarantine system’s capacity, and organise meetings on a rotational basis to review the implementation of the agreements.

According to the Preventive Medicine Department, four airports, nine sea ports, 19 land and waterway international border gates, and four main and three auxiliary land border gates in Vietnam are subject to the health quarantine agreements with Laos and Cambodia.