Units of Vietnam, U.S. Join Hands in Researching Zoonotic Diseases

The Vietnamese Health Ministry’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s Department of Animal Health are working with the United States’ University of Florida on a project to research some zoonotic diseases in Vietnam in 2020-2024, state media reported. On July 27, the NIHE officially launched the project on studying, researching, and making epidemiology maps on the circulation of anthrax and brucellosis. Anthrax’s fatality rate may reach 90% if infected via the respiratory system; meanwhile, brucellosis is recorded on workers at cattle slaughterhouses or zoos. The project is being carried out in six northern mountainous provinces, namely Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, and Son La, with a total cost of $5 million. (Thanh Nien, Thanh Nien)