Vietnam has no Zika virus infections yet

By Anh Kiet 08:34, 2016/04/01

This was confirmed by the Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at the Steering Committee for Zika virus prevention that was held on March 30.

No mosquito-borne Zika virus case has been reported within Vietnam so far this year, as samples collected are confirmed by labs as negative for the virus.

As many as 784 samples have been taken from 32 provinces and cities nationwide for testing and all have given negative results. Though no infection has been recorded, preventive measures against the worrisome virus should be taken in a proactive manner, the Health Ministry said.

Deploying insecticide-sprayers and rooting out mosquito breeding places in homes are among the measures. Those who return from Zika-hit areas are advised to monitor their health for the first 12 days and use condoms in sexual relationships to prevent transmitting the virus.

Experts said 61 countries and territories have reported cases of the Zika virus, a number which is expected to grow. The World Health Organisation classified the Zika virus as a global emergency, with increasing scientific evidence indicating the virus causes microcephaly in infants and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The MoH’s Emergency Operations Centre believes that there is a very high risk of Zika outbreaks in Vietnam.

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