Vietnam Needs Health Strategy to Combat Emerging Disease Threats: USAID
Vietnam, one of the countries heavily impacted by climate change, needs a health strategy to combat the threats of emerging diseases, said USAID’s Mission Director for Vietnam Aler Grubbs.
Addressing these concerns, Ms. Ramla Khalidi, UNDP resident representative in Vietnam, stated that increasing drought, saltwater intrusion, and storms in the Mekong Delta region not only severely damages the economy but also leads to the risk of outbreaks of dengue fever and other infectious diseases, as well as the spread of zoonotic diseases.
USAID and UNDP have launched a project on enhancing one health approach in the context of climate change and environment, aiming to strengthen provincial and municipal capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to emerging infectious diseases related to climate change in Vietnam, Ms. Khalidi shared. The project will pilot in Can Tho City and An Giang province, two climate-vulnerable localities in the Mekong Delta region.