HANOI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to continue their efforts to rapidly identify and treat cases of severe acute watery diarrhea, a WHO press release said here on Wednesday.

    The measures include strengthening inspection of commercial food vendors to improve food safety standards, disinfection of the household environment of cases, maintaining the supply of safe water, and public information campaigns with key messages on reducing personal risk through improved food safety and personal hygiene, said the release.

    The WHO recommends that the measures introduced in response to the current outbreak in Vietnam be continued in the future and become routine practice. In particular, the organization recommends the widespread promotion and adoption of five keys to safer food which remain important for the prevention of food-borne and water-borne diseases.

    The keys include keeping clean, particularly by hand washing with soap before handling food and after going to the toilet; separating raw and cooked food; especially high risk food like raw meat, poultry and seafood; cooking food thoroughly; keeping food at safe temperatures; and using chlorinated or boiled water for consumption and for cleaning of raw food.

    The WHO has been working closely with the ministry to respond to the current outbreak of severe acute watery diarrhea in which a number of local people have tested positive to the cholera bacteria since October 2007 when the first wave of cases was reported in the country, said the release.