Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Apr. 3 (VNA) - Viet Nam aims to prevent the disease severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from reentering the country from abroad, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh has said.

The spread of SARS around the world has been complicated, the FM spokeswoman emphasised at a press briefing in Ha Noi on Thursday.

Viet Nam has stepped up quarantines at airports, land border gates and seaports, including border checkpoints in the north of the country, she said, explaining this will be an important measure to prevent the disease from spreading, Thanh underscored.

Medical quarantine offices at all border gates have employed extra measures to identify and quarantine those who have symptoms of SARS, Thanh said.

"Visitors to Viet Nam must fill in a medical form which clarifies whether they display SARS symptoms and if they have travelled through countries with SARS," said the FM spokeswoman.

If a tourist is suspected to be infected with SARS, he or she will be sent back. If a tourist is confirmed to have SARS, he or she will be placed in quarantine and taken in a special ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

However, there has been no such cases in Viet Nam, Thanh said.

SARS Prevention Boards have been set up in six northern provinces and the Hai Phong port city while the government has authorised provinces to allocate part of their budget for the purchase of preventive medical equipment. The Ministry of Health has created three special medical teams to assist border provinces, Thanh said.

"The outbreak of SARS has been controlled in Viet Nam. The country's treatment of SARS patients and its efforts to control the spread of the disease have been commended by the World Health Organisation and international community," Thanh said.

"Many patients have fully recovered and been discharged from hospitals. A number of other patients, who have recovered, are still being kept under observation at the hospital, while patients in intensive care have shown positive developments. Families of SARS patients are kept under close watch. No new cases of SARS have been found in the country," Thanh said.

She went on to say: "Measures have been taken to localise and control the spread of the killer virus. All cases of SARS have been connected to an infectious area of the Viet Nam-France hospital and to a particular foreigner. No cases of SARS have been found in the community without a connection to the source of the epidemic. Measures have been taken to prevent and control the disease, including 10 guidelines and four principles. These have been disseminated widely in the community and to medical workers at the local level.

"According to the Ministry of Health, to date 63 people have contracted SARS since the outbreak of the disease, including four people died of SARS, 26 patients had fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital, 26 others have recovered and are waiting for doctors' permission to go home and the rest are being treated at the hospital," the FM spokesperson concluded.