At the handover ceremony, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said she appreciated the Vietnamese Government’s disease prevention and control efforts, as the country has reported 1,505 infections, including 35 fatalities to date, since the first cases were confirmed nearly a year ago. Phan Le Thu Hang, deputy head of the Health Ministry’s Planning and Finance Department, said the ministry appreciates the UNFPA’s assistance, affirming that protecting the health of all people, particularly pregnant women in ethnic minority-inhabited areas and disaster-affected areas, is the priority of the Vietnamese government.