Vietnam faces high risk of Zika virus cases: minister
Vietnam runs a high risk of recording a case of Zika virus infection, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said during an inspection of virus prevention measures in Ho Chi Minh City on February 4.
Checking the body temperature of passengers (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam runs a high risk of recording a case of Zika virus infection, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim⛎ Tien said during an inspection of virus prevention measures in Ho Chi Minh City on February 4.
She said, although there had not been any Zika patients reported in the country by February 4, southern localities are likely to witness the appearance of the virus as about 700 passengers from South American nations, where the virus is raging, enter Vietnam via HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport every month.
Zika virus is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which also carries dengue fever. Moreover, 80 percent of dengue fever cases occurring in Vietnam are recorded in the south, which has suitable climate conditions for this kind of mosquito to grow.
She warned that if Zika virus appears in the south, it will possibly spread throughout the community.
The official recommended people avoid going to the Zika-affected regions while those coming from the virus-hit areas should use anti-mosquito chemicals for 14 days to prevent transmission.
Her ministry will also hand over health declaration forms to people from the affected countries to fill in, she added.
Nguyen Ba My Nhi – Deputy Director of the Tu Du Hospital in HCM City – said the hospital has recorded many microencephaly cases, but Zika virus disease has few clinical symptoms which are also similar to those of seasonal influenza, Rubella or dengue fever. Therefore, it is difficult to diagnose if pregnant women are infected with Zika.
Representatives of the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases also shared these challenges in the diagnosis of Zika virus disease.-VNA
No cases of Zika fever have been reported in Vietnam so far, but there is a high risk that the virus may enter the country due to the presence of Aedes mosquitos which transmit the virus, and trade, t
The increasing demand for food and rise in travelling during the lunar New Year holidays and the festival season will pose a high risk of disease outbreaks.
The Ministry of Health urged the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) to strengthen its monitoring and detection of suspects infected with Zika virus at a meeting on January 29.
The Centre for International Health Quarantine of Ho Chi Minh City is carrying out various measures to prevent Zika virus from entering the country and to contain it in case the disease does occur.
The Ministry of Health is coordinating closely with relevant sectors to keep tourists from Zika virus-affected countries under strict monitoring, aiming to prevent the virus from entering Vietnam.
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According to the World Health Organisation, more than 25,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded globally over the past month. Notably, from January 1 to May 10, Thailand reported nearly 54,000 infections and 16 deaths. The rise in cases in Thailand has been linked to the spread of XBB.1.16 subvariant.
Recently, HCM City has experienced a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases, with 26 reported in just one week, compared to an average of only 1-2 cases weekly earlier this year.
Checking the body temperature of passengers (Photo: VNA)
