Two new Zika cases found in southern region

Thứ Bảy, 08/10/2016, 20:48

Two people, one from Ho Chi Minh City and the other from neighbouring Binh Duong province, have been tested positive with Zika virus, according to the Department of Preventive Medicine (DPM) under the Ministry of Health.

The patient in Binh Duong is a 27-year-old pregnant woman who lives in Thuan An town while the patient in HCM City is also a woman, 28, in District 9. 

The DPM asked the Health Departments of the two localities to investigate the cases and closely monitor the suspected who lives in the patients’ areas. 

The HCM City Pasteur Institute sprayed chemicals to skill larvae in the areas surrounding the house of the patient. 

Vietnam is identified as the country with Zika virus as it recorded three infections in HCM City, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.

The Zika virus is transmitted to humans primarily through Aedes aegypty mosquito bites and sexual intercourse. 

The symptoms of Zika infection include fever, conjunctivitis, headaches and muscle pains. Zika infection during pregnancy may lead to microcephaly in children, which is responsible for incomplete brain development and an unusually small head. 

A vaccine for the Zika virus has yet to be discovered.

VNA