The Ministry of Health has taken stronger preventive measures against the Zika virus across the country, particularly in central Phu Yen province where a local man recently tested positive for the virus.
The ministry's Department of Preventive Medicine said on August 3 that the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the Pasteur Institute and local medical establishments were requested to collect more blood and fluid samples to allow the early diagnosis of the virus. The Department of Maternal and Child Health was directed to ramp up screenings of pregnant women nationwide to detect any risk of microcephaly in babies. The ministry urged the public not to panic over the Zika virus and to protect themselves from mosquito bites and eliminate mosquitos and larvae in their homes and neighbourhoods. They were advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants day and night, sleep indoors under mosquito nets, use mosquito repellent and mosquito traps, and clean or cover water containers. No travel restrictions in areas where Zika may pose a risk have been imposed but the ministry advised those who travel to and from these areas to keep a close eye on their health in the first 12 days upon arrival. If any Zika symptom is detected, they need to immediately visit a hospital for screening and treatment.
Vietnamese health officials confirmed the nation's third case of the Zika virus on Aug. 3. Nguyen Thi Mong Ngoc, Director of the Health Department of Phu Yen Province, said a 27-year-old man identified only as Hung had contracted Zika. Hung was admitted to a hospital in Phu Yen on June 30th with symptoms including fever and rash. He recovered and was discharged from the hospital on Jul. 7. However, a test had been performed on him and it came back positive on Jul. 28, according to a report by the health department. Doctors are investigating how Hung contracted the virus. The provincial health department set up a team to inspect the patient's residence and 30 surrounding households in Tan Hoi hamlet, Son Hoa district. The patient's family members gave blood and urine samples for testing at the Pasteur Nha Trang Institute.
Vietnam reported its first two Zika patients in April, a 64-year-old woman in Nha Trang and a 33-year-old woman in Ho Chi Minh City. The latter was then eight weeks pregnant but underwent an abortion after the ultrasound scan reportedly did not detect the fetal heartbeat. A South Korean who stayed in HCMC for 20 days was also diagnosed with the virus after she returned home in May.
According to Director of the provincial Department of Health Nguyen Thi Mong Ngoc, the province has not recorded any other Zika infection in the 28 days since the patient first showed symptoms. The Zika virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and can be passed by sexual partners. Most people won't experience the disease's mild symptoms, which include rash and joint pain, but health officials say Zika infections in pregnant women can cause severe birth defects.