A baby with unusually small heads caused by Zika (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has so far recorded no cases related to Zika virus, which is now affecting 54 countries and territories worldwide, the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department announced on March 7.
However, taking into account the virus spread in regional countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Laos; Vietnam is facing a high risk of an outbreak.
As such, an anti-mosquito campaign urging each individual to adopt self-protection measures has been launched.
The Ministry of Health warned women, who are pregnant or expect to enter pregnancy in the next six months, not to travel to Zika-hit countries, which are listed on the ministry’s website: www.vncdc.gov.vn .
People coming from these countries should keep an eye on their health for the first 12 days after their arrival in Vietnam. They are recommended to go to medical facilities if they begin to experience unusual symptoms.
The ministry has also set up a helpline on the virus – 0989671115.
Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the vast majority of cases, brain damage. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat Zika.-VNA
