Dispatch of Japan Disaster Relief Expert Team to Viet Nam for Epidemic Outbreak of Non-specific Pneumonia

March 17, 2003

The Government of Japan decided to dispatch from March 16 (Sun) to 25 (Tue) a Japan Disaster Relief Expert Team to Vietnam, which is suffering an epidemic of a non-specific type of pneumonia of unknown origin which is feared to be spreading rapidly. The Team comprising three members including health-care professionals will be dispatched to provide advice and instruction on treatment and infection control.
In Vietnam, after a non-Vietnamese man who showed acute and severe respiratory symptoms of unknown origin was hospitalized on February 26, 29 staff members of the hospital have developed similar symptoms one after another.
Taking this situation very seriously, the Government of Vietnam has requested Japan to dispatch medical experts and to provide medical equipment, while conducting examinations both nationally and internationally to identify the virus with the cooperation of multilateral and international organizations, isolating the patients completely on March 10 after closing the hospital where the epidemic broke out, and exerting other efforts to prevent the contagion from spreading.
The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch a Japan Disaster Relief Expert Team to Vietnam, from a humanitarian point of view for the sake of the victims who have contracted this mysterious disease and in light of the friendly relations between Japan and Viet Nam.

(END)