Vietnam has detected nearly 500 acute diarrhea cases in 12 northern cities and provinces since early March, of whom over 100 have been infected with cholera, Xinhua reported. Up to 78 percent of cholera patients ate unsafe foodstuffs such as blood budding, raw vegetables and raw shrimp paste, the ministry said. The Vietnamese government has asked localities, relevant agencies and people to focus on monitoring food safety, ensuring environmental hygiene, preparing sufficient pharmaceuticals, and improving public awareness, to stamp out the disease.
