The
Ministry warned that new Zika cases could rise in the near future.
Authorities
have discovered Zika virus in the blood of a 27-year-old pregnant woman from
Binh Duong Province and a 28-year old woman in nearby Ho Chi Minh City, the
Ministry of Health announced Saturday.
Both
sought treatment for fever, rash and body aches before testing positive for the
virus. Neither woman had traveled to affected areas or been in contact with
other Zika patients.
Both
women are in normal health, the ministry said, adding that authorities have
since sprayed the neighborhoods where they reside to prevent a further
outbreak. The new discovery brings Vietnam's total number of confirmed Zika
cases to five.
The ministry
warned that Vietnam's number of new Zika patients may increase in the near
future.
In July,
Vietnam confirmed its third case of Zika in the southern province of Phu Yen.
In April, two Vietnamese women became the first confirmed cases of the virus in
the country.
Authorities
have discovered a number of foreigners with the Zika virus in recent months.
The Zika
virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. The World Health Organization
(WHO) said sexual transmission is "relatively common" and has advised
pregnant women against travel to areas experiencing ongoing outbreaks.
Zika virus threatens to spread to northern
Vietnam
The virus
may inevitably find its way up to mosquito-infested northern provinces and
cities.
Health
experts are warning that the capital Hanoi and northern Vietnam are at risk
from the Zika virus following two new non-travel-related cases in the southern
part of the country reported last week by the Ministry of Health.
The new
cases, one in Thuan An District in the southern province of Binh Duong and one
Ho Chi Minh City's District 9, bring the total number of Zika cases recorded in
Vietnam so far to five.
Vietnam’s
health sector has taken measures to prevent a potential outbreak, including
testing samples and setting up quarantine zones. The sector has been placed on
high alert since two Vietnamese women in Nha Trang and Khanh Hoa became the
first confirmed cases of the virus in the country in April.
Prof.
Nguyen Van Kinh, director of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, said
the possibility of the mosquito-borne virus spreading to the north is very high
as the Aedes species of mosquito is very common in most provinces and cities in
the region.
Zika is
spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Statistics show that
584 communes and wards in Hanoi are home to this type of mosquito, which can
spread dengue fever, Zika, yellow fever and other viruses and diseases.
Kinh
added that the majority of Vietnamese people have never been exposed to the
virus before, meaning they have lower immunity and with 80 percent of cases
showing no symptoms.
Tran Dac
Phu, head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine, said the cases of
the Zika virus in Vietnam have not displayed any significant symptoms. But that
poses a major concern as the victims typically do not know they are carrying
the virus and there is a high risk of transmission to people exposed to these
"silent carriers".
In Hanoi,
55 suspected cases of Zika have been detected and monitored, but test results
have all come back negative for the virus, said Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director
of Hanoi's Health Department. “From now until November, the course of dengue
fever may become complicated and the Zika virus may also appear in Hanoi,” said
Hanh.
According
to the local Health Department, there are 50-60 international flights on
average with about 7,000 to 8,000 passengers arriving in Hanoi via Noi Bai
International Airport every day. In order to prevent and control the virus, the
airport has deployed two body-temperature monitors to detect passengers
suspected of carrying Zika.
In July,
Vietnam confirmed its third case of Zika in the southern province of Phu Yen.
In April, two Vietnamese women became the first confirmed cases of the virus in
Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Authorities
have also discovered a number of foreigners with the Zika virus in recent
months.
The Zika
virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Zika virus infections have been
linked to the birth defect microcephaly and miscarriages, posing a significant
threat to pregnant women, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
There is
no vaccine or effective treatment for Zika, and companies and scientists are
racing to develop a vaccine. However, that is unlikely to be ready for
widespread use for at least two or three years.
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