Vietnam declares free of Zika cases

Vietnam is currently free of Zika cases, but preventative measures are ongoing to prevent possible outbreaks in the future, the Department of Preventive Medicine said on Tuesday.

The south-central coastal Khanh Hoa province and southern Ho Chi Minh City, some 1,130 km south of capital Hanoi, declared the end of Zika outbreak at the communal level on April 22 as there are no further cases detected within 24 days since detection of the virus in the regions.

In early April, Vietnam's Ministry of Health announced two cases of Zika infection in the country.

A 64-year-old woman in Khanh Hoa, contracted the virus through mosquito bites and began to show signs of fever on March 26.

Another Zika patient in Ho Chi Minh City was a 33-year-old pregnant woman who was hospitalized on March 29.

Earlier, Vietnam's Ministry of Health decided to raise alert level for Zika virus in the country after the World Health Organization announced that Australia has identified a case of Zika infection after returning from Vietnam.

The department said it is intensifying Zika testing and anti-Zika measures. It will also update information on the disease and give warnings about the disease on the department's website and media outlets.

The ministry will continue mobilizing local people to kill mosquito larvae, increase examination and detection of new cases while coordinating with relevant departments and sectors to enhance awareness of Zika virus and dengue fever prevention nationwide.

Zika is known as a virus that spreads through bites from Aedes aegypti mosquito. The virus is particularly risky for pregnant women as it is thought to be linked to a rare birth defect, which causes newborn babies to have unusually small, damaged brain. Endit