Health ministry on alert after third Zika infection confirmed

Illustrative image (Source: usatoday.com)

Phu Yen (VNA) – 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.

A 27-year-old man from Phu Yen province tested positive for the Zika virus on July 28 after having a fever of 38.5 Celsius Degrees and muscle and joint pains a month earlier.

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.

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.-VNA