The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City on April 6 stepped up detection and quarantine measures at Tan Son Nhat International Airport to detect incoming passengers for the dreaded H7N9 virus.
Nguyen Van Sau, director of the International Quarantine Center in HCMC, said the airport now has two machines to measure body temperature of passengers, and these devices can work effectively at a distance of 150m.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport receives 4-5 direct flights from China with average 400-500 passengers every day. Besides, there are ten daily transit flights from China, via other countries.
Dr. Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the HCMC Department of Health, has instructed the International Quarantine Center and relevant organs to remain extra vigil in monitoring passengers coming into Vietnam.
Any passenger showing signs of respiratory infection must be isolated immediately and undergo a thorough medical check-up. In case of lung inflammation from the virus, required samples must be sent to the Pasteur Institute in HCMC for testing.