The conference was attended by medical representatives from Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and chaired by Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien, Director of the Department of Military Medicine.
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Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien chairs the conference. |
An official report by China’s National Health Commission revealed that the nCoV has affected 4,515 people, and the death toll has climbed to 106 (as of January 28). Around 7,000 people have been suspected of being infected with the virus, and 60 have been discharged from hospitals after recovery.
At the meeting, all the delegates agreed that there is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection, so the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends. The CDC's preventive methods include frequent hand-washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (if soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer should be used); avoidance of touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands; avoidance of close contact with sick people; covering the face while coughing or sneezing with a tissue and discharging the tissue in the trash.
Those suspected of being infected with the virus should go to medical stations to have their health checked.
The ACMM has also announced level-2 readiness condition (REDCON 2) to closely follow the developments of the 2019-nCoV in member countries and recommended countries to apply World Health Organization’s methods to prevent infection and promote the effective coordination between civilian and military forces in fighting the virus.
Concluding the conference, Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien said that Vietnam recommends to hold exercises to cope with the virus as soon as possible and encourages the ADMM+’s expert group on military medicine to add similar contents to exercises in their working plan for the 2020-2023 period.
He said that cooperation in military medicine within ACMM will be discussed by defense ministers of ASEAN member countries and other countries in 2020 when Vietnam is the ADMM/ADMM+ Chair. The discussion aims to roll out orientations for cooperation in military medicine in the context that countries are worrying about the spread of the 2019-nCoV.
General Kien also asked participating medical representatives to closely follow the development of the virus, update, and share the ACMM’s prevention of the 2019-nCoV.
Translated by Tran Hoai