First Dioxin Detoxification Centre Opens in Central Highlands
The Centrals Highland province of Gia Lai’s Association for Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin inaugurated a detoxification centre for AO victims, the first of its kind in the province, on June 5. The centre has a total investment of over VND2 billion ($95,000), including two steam rooms, a medical examination room, a canteen and a rehabilitation room. The centre is designed to purge the body of dioxin, a toxic contaminant of contained in herbicides dubbed AO, for over 13,000 victims in the province, contributing to improving the health and living condition of the entire community. The program has been carried out in the northern province of Thai Binh since 2012; over 1,200 local AO’s victims have received treatment, all of whom saw positive results. Following Thai Binh province, Military Medical Institute 103, the central city of Danang and Ha Tinh, Gia Lai is the fifth province to implement the program. From 1961 to 1971, the US Army sprayed more than 18.2 million gallons of Agent Orange onto more than 10% of the land in southern Vietnam. It is estimated that more than 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to AO/dioxin. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases due to its effects. (Vietnamplus.vn June 5)