The model of promotion of using services on maternal care and family planning in Nam Dong district, Thua Thien-Hue province

Introduction: This action research aimed to make a context-specific and gender-sensitive interventions. Intervention activities was participatory to decrease the barriers to the use of maternal care and family planning (MCFP) services by the disadvantaged Kinh people and Catu ethnic minority people in the mountainous area of Nam Dong District in Central Vietnam. Intervention also aimed to improve communal MCFP services prioritized to training effective communication skills for communal health centers' staff and village health workers. Methods: 2 surveys were conducted before and after intervention among 7 poor communes using a random sample of total 840 mothers with at least one child under the age of 5 years. These data were supplemented by interviews with key informants, focus group discussions and observations. Statistical tests and measurement of effective index (EI) were used in data analysis. Results: - Women having ANC and delivery at local MCFP service were increasing 97.6% and 50% in year 2005 as compared with 86.9% and 31% respectively in year 2003. Midwives paid much attention to non-verbal communication as well as to counseling using demonstrative pictures. - There were a clear evidence of significantly increasing the mother's knowledge of MCFP such as local MCFP service availability, benefit of ANC (p=3 times was significantly increasing (EI=11.98%, p<0.01). - The percentage of mothers who delivered at home was slow down to 19.4% as compared with before intervention was 45.2% respectively (EI= 64.20%, p<0.001) Conclusion: Intervention model was considerably successful in using context-specific and gender sensitive approaches. It contributed to meeting an urgent need for the MCFP services to build both clinical capacity and health promotion activities in a way that is gender sensitive, knowledge on of traditional practices and accessible by both illiterate and minority language speaking people.

Some epidemiological characteristics of cholera in Thua Thien-Hue province

Reviewing cholera epidemics in Thua Thien-Hue province yielded that people at all age groups had caught cholera, 36% of all these cholera cases were in less than 15 years old group. In 2003, there was a transform from type V.E. OGAWA to V.E. INABA. The C-degree dehydration has been increased and made 50% among cholera patients, statistically higher than the rates of the years 2003, 1992 and 1993. This bacterium was still sensitive to common antibiotics shown on antibiograms. However ampicilline has been at risk of drug resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully choose antibiotics for treatment and chemo-prophylaxis for people.

Malaria management in Vietnam-Lao border and Ho Chi Minh route in Thua Thien Hue province

One of the challenges for the current malaria management in the province of Thua Thien - Hue is imported malaria caused by the movement of population across the Vietnam - Laos border and between the malaria endemic areas from Quang Nam to Quang Tri provinces by the newly constructed route of Ho Chi Minh. Under that circumstance, the active measures have been set up for control and prevention of malaria infection, especially for risk cases. These measures appear to be initially effective. The incidence, fatality has been controlled. The risk of imported malaria has been over. However, those measures need to be sustained in the border areas and the Ho Chi Minh route to maintain the achievements