The Ministry of Health officially enacted the updated list of infectious disease classifications starting July 1. This policy is outlined in Decision No. 1965/QD-BYT signed by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, as a step to update outdated regulations to adapt to the dynamics of current global health threats.
In the new classification, Group A now includes 15 types of diseases with very rapid spread risks, high fatality potential, or diseases whose causative agents have not been identified. This list has been expanded with the addition of influenza A(H7N9) and MERS-CoV, as well as alignment of medical nomenclature for diseases such as Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, and SARS to facilitate identification and handling in the field.
The most notable significant change occurred in Group B, which now consists of 47 types of dangerous infectious diseases. The Ministry of Health included several diseases that have shown an upward trend in cases in recent years, including Covid-19, monkeypox (Mpox), Zika virus infection, and Legionnaires' disease. This adjustment also includes the reclassification of several types of diseases from Group A to Group B to improve the efficiency of epidemiological data management.
In addition to categories A and B, there is also Group C which covers 19 infectious diseases with a lower risk level. This list includes various fungal infections, parasites, and sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea. This restructuring step is expected to increase the effectiveness of surveillance and make it easier for medical personnel to design more targeted prevention protocols for the public.
