Decision No. 02/2016/QĐ-TTg on conditions for declaring and announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks

Pursuant to …;

Article 24Regarding the conditions for declaring an epidemic and declaring the end of an epidemic of infectious diseasesẽt s

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Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization dated June 19, 2015;

Pursuant to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases dated November 21, 2007;

At the proposal of the Minister of Health,

The Prime Minister issues this Decision to stipulate the conditions for declaring an epidemic and declaring the end of an epidemic of infectious diseases.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Decision stipulates the conditions and procedures for declaring an epidemic and declaring the end of an epidemic of infectious diseases.

Article 2. Conditions for declaring an epidemic of infectious diseases

1. For infectious diseases belonging to Group A: there must be at least one confirmed case of illness.

2. For infectious diseases belonging to Groups B and C:

a) A commune, ward, town (hereinafter referred to as commune) shall be considered to have an epidemic when the number of cases exceeds the average number of cases over the last three years during the same month;

b) A district, city district, provincial town (hereinafter referred to as district) shall be considered to have an epidemic when it has two or more communes with an epidemic;

c) A province, centrally governed city (hereinafter referred to as province) shall be considered to have an epidemic when it has two or more districts with an epidemic.

Article 3. Procedures for declaring an epidemic of infectious diseases belonging to Group A

1. Upon receiving information about suspected cases of Group A infectious diseases, the agency designated by the Ministry of Health to conduct investigation and verification (hereinafter referred to as the epidemic verification agency) shall immediately carry out the investigation and verification.

2. Within twelve hours from the time of confirming a case of Group A infectious disease, the epidemic verification agency shall notify the Department of Health where the epidemic occurred and report to the Ministry of Health.

3. Within twelve hours from the time of receiving the notification from the epidemic verification agency, the Department of Health where the epidemic occurred shall report to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province.

4. Within twelve hours from the time of receiving the report from the Department of Health where the epidemic occurred, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province shall request the Minister of Health to declare an epidemic.

5. The Minister of Health:

a) Shall declare an epidemic within twenty-four hours from the time of receiving the request from the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province;

b) Shall notify the case of Group A infectious disease within twenty-four hours from the time of receiving the report from the epidemic verification agency in the case of a person entering Vietnam who is confirmed to have contracted a Group A infectious disease;

c) Shall request the Prime Minister to declare an epidemic in the case of rapid spread of the epidemic from one province to another, seriously affecting human lives and health.

Article 4. Procedures for declaring an epidemic of infectious diseases belonging to Groups B and C

1. Upon receiving information about a confirmed case of infectious disease, the Department of Health in the place where the patient resided during the incubation period specified in the Appendix attached to this Decision shall organize the investigation and verification of the epidemic.

2. Within twenty-four hours from the time of confirming an epidemic, the Department of Health where the epidemic occurred shall report to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province.

3. Within twenty-four hours from the time of receiving the report from the Department of Health, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province where the epidemic occurred shall decide on declaring the epidemic of Groups B and C according to his authority.

4. In the case where two or more provinces have declared the same epidemic of infectious diseases belonging to the list of Group B infectious diseases specified in the Appendix attached to this Decision within the average incubation period of the disease, the Minister of Health shall declare the epidemic according to Point b Clause 2 Article 38 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

Article 5. Conditions and procedures for announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks

1. In addition to meeting the conditions stipulated in Point b Clause 1 Article 40 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, the announcement of the end of an infectious disease outbreak must also meet the condition: No new cases of the disease are detected after a specified period of time as defined in the Appendix attached to this Decision for each disease.

2. After the specified period without detecting new cases of the disease as provided in the Appendix attached to this Decision and having implemented preventive measures as required, the Department of Health shall report to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and decision:

a) Announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks belonging to Group B and Group C;

b) Requesting the Minister of Health to consider and decide on announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks belonging to Group A.

3. The Minister of Health shall decide:

a) Announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks belonging to Group A upon receiving a request from the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province where the outbreak occurred;

b) Announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks belonging to Group B when all provinces have announced the end of their outbreaks;

c) Considering a request from the Prime Minister to announce the end of infectious disease outbreaks belonging to Group A for cases that the Prime Minister has previously declared as outbreaks.

Article 6. Responsibilities of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee

1. Directing, organizing the implementation and inspecting, supervising the execution of this Decision within the provincial territory.

2. Directing the Department of Health to implement statistics, management, and reporting of infectious disease data monthly and annually within the provincial territory as prescribed.

Article 7. Responsibilities of the Minister of Health

1. Directing, organizing the implementation and inspecting, supervising the execution of this Decision nationwide.

2. For newly emerging dangerous infectious diseases belonging to Group A with unknown causative agents and infectious diseases belonging to Groups B and C not listed in the Appendix attached to this Decision, based on epidemiological characteristics or recommendations from the World Health Organization, the Minister of Health shall determine a specific period without detecting new cases of the disease and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision regarding amendments and supplements to the list of periods without detecting new cases of the disease as a basis for announcing the end of infectious disease outbreaks.

Article 8. Effective Date

1. This Decision takes effect from March 15, 2016.

2. Decision No. 64/2010/QĐ-TTg dated October 25, 2010 of the Government Chairman on the conditions for announcing disease outbreaks and the end of infectious disease outbreaks ceases to be effective from the date this Decision comes into force.

Article 9. Responsibility for implementation

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairmen of provincial people's committees, and chairmen of municipal people's committees directly under the central government are responsible for implementing this Decision./