Dr Socorro Escalante, Acting  WHO Representative in Vietnam, gives an interview to the press about monkeypox. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam has not recorded any cases of monkeypox, but the risk of monkeypox entering Vietnam is very large because cases have appeared in neighboring countries.

Escalante said the WHO has helped Vietnam’s Ministry of Health create guidelines for laboratory monitoring and testing, including measures to strengthen supervision and testing systems, as well as conducting rapid response, clinical management, and infection control for monkeypox. The WHO has also helped Vietnam publicize the monkeypox outbreak, and provided vaccination guidance.

For countries like Vietnam that have yet to record any monkeypox cases, Escalante underlined the need to strengthen monitoring, laboratory diagnostic capabilities, testing, sample transport procedures, risk communications, and clinical management guidelines. She also pointed to raising public awareness of how monkeypox is transmitted, taking steps to protect the community, and identifying signs and symptoms in high-risk communities.