Circulation of human respiratory syncytial virus and new ON1 genotype in northern Viet Nam, 2017-2020.

Objective: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a primary cause of paediatric severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) worldwide, especially in developing countries. We investigated the genetic characteristics of RSV in northern Viet Nam to determine the prevalence and distribution of subtypes as well as the diversity and transmission patterns of genotypes.

Methods: In two facilities, from January 2017 to December 2020, 1563 clinical specimens were collected from paediatric patients hospitalized with SARI and tested for RSV.

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 presence on environmental surfaces and waste in healthcare and non-healthcare facilities.

Objective: The objective of the paper is to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on inanimate surfaces in four healthcare facilities treating patients with COVID-19 and four quarantine regiments of provincial military commands.

Methods: From August to October 2020, a total of 468 one-off environmental samples consisting of inanimate surfaces, garbage, and wastewater were collected. The real-time RT-PCR assay targeting E and RdRp genes to detect SARS-CoV-2 and checklist and questionnaire of disinfection practices were employed.

Novel Mutation of SARS-CoV-2, Vietnam, July 2020.

A cluster of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections in Danang, Vietnam, began July 25, 2020, and resulted in 551 confirmed cases and 35 deaths as of February 2021. We analyzed 26 sequences from this cluster and identified a novel shared mutation in nonstructural protein 9, suggesting a single introduction into Vietnam.

Missed detections of influenza A(H1)pdm09 by real-time RT-PCR assay due to haemagglutinin sequence mutation, December 2017 to March 2018, northern Viet Nam.

Introduction: There are two methods of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that have been the common methods to detect influenza infections: conventional and real-time RT-PCR. From December 2017 to March 2018, several missed diagnoses of influenza A(H1)pdm09 using real-time RT-PCR were reported in northern Viet Nam. This study investigated how these missed detections occurred to determine their effect on the surveillance of influenza.