Up to 92.9 percent of confirmed Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, cases in Vietnam are male and 78.6 percent of the tally are men who have sex with men, according to data from the Vietnam General Department of Preventive Medicine (VNCDC).

The country had reported a total of 56 Mpox cases as of October 31 this year, including two imported infections in 2022.

These Mpox cases, aged 18-49, were detected in seven provinces and cities, with one death recorded in Ho Chi Minh City.

Around 63 percent of the Mpox patients live with HIV, while 46 percent have sexually-transmitted infections.

Mpox is a new outbreak in Vietnam and confirmed cases have been detected in the community, so the country will likely see more cases especially in other major cities, aside from Ho Chi Minh City, the VNCDC under the Ministry of Health said.

The VNCDC asked all localities nationwide to closely monitor the developments of Mpox and promptly adopt preventive measures especially at healthcare centers, public events, and border gates to minimize Mpox infections and deaths.

These localities need to concurrently team up with gynecological and dermatological clinics as well as healthcare facilities that provide HIV/AIDS prevention and control services to timely offer advice, care, and treatment to potential Mpox cases.

They were told to supervise confirmed Mpox cases and those having close contact with Mpox patients to curb the spread of the disease; protect healthcare workers from being infected with the disease; and give advice to and conduct HIV tests on Mpox patients along with their partners.

For suspected Mpox cases, their samples need to be collected and sent to the Pasteur Institutes or relevant units for testing and confirmation.

The localities have to provide training for healthcare workers on Mpox prevention and control; work out scenarios in response to possible Mpox outbreaks in their areas; and prepare a sufficient amount of medical supplies, human resources, and funding to cope with the disease.

Besides, they were asked to continue efforts to raise public awareness about Mpox, especially people of vulnerable groups, and call on local residents to quickly inform health authorities of their suspected symptoms of Mpox.

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