Vietnam free of Zika cases, prevention efforts continue

Vietnam is currently free of Zika virus, but preventative measures are ongoing to prevent possible outbreaks in the future, the Department of Preventive Medicine said on April 26.

Posters with Zika prevention information are posted at a school in Hue. (Credit: VNA)
Posters with Zika prevention information are posted at a school in Hue. (Credit: VNA)

The department said it is intensifying Zika testing and anti-Zika activities. It will also update information on the disease and publish Ministry of Health recommendations on the department’s website and media outlets.

The Zika outbreak at the communal level in the central province of Khanh Hoa ended on April 20, the provincial People’s Committee announced on April 22.

The HCM City administration also declared the end of its Zika outbreak at the same level on April 22.

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

The Zika patient in HCM City resided in Thanh My Loi ward in District 2. The pregnant woman, 33, was hospitalised on March 29.

According to health ministry regulations, a Zika outbreak is declared over when there are no further cases within 24 days of the last patient started showing Zika symptoms.