The Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute reported that all samples taken from dengue patients in 2015 tested negative for Zika.
In early 2016, 83 patients from localities with a high prevalence of Aedes mosquitoes – the main transmitter of the virus – and who had symptoms similar to Zika also tested negative for the virus, according to reports from the institute.
The department, however, warned that there was still a high risk the virus could enter the country.
The ministry will continue collecting samples from suspected cases in localities to detect the disease and prevent it from spreading further.
The ministry advised pregnant women and women who are trying to get pregnant not to travel to Zika-hit countries listed at the department’s website (www.vncdc.gov.vn).
Travellers from Zika-striken countries should keep an eye on their health for 12 days after their arrival to Vietnam. They should go to medical facilities if they begin to experience unusual symptoms, the ministry said.
People are recommended to use mosquito repellent and securely cover all containers of water to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs inside.
The ministry also set up a hotline for information on the Zika virus: 0989671115.
Zika is mainly transmitted via the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the vast majority of cases, brain damage. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat Zika.
The virus is characterised by a low-grade fever (from 37.5 degree Celsius to 38 degree Celsius). The symptoms are similar to other arbovirus infections such as dengue and include skin rashes, muscle pain, joint pain with possible swelling (notable in small joints in hands and feet), headaches, conjunctivitis and malaise. The incubation period usually lasts between 3 to 12 days.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, by February 25, the virus had circulated to 43 countries and territories, located mostly in South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.
Nhandan Newspaper – No cases of Zika virus reported in Vietnam Related image(s)
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