Spraying chemical to kill mosquitoes and larvae (Photo: VNA)Dong Nai (VNA) – The southernprovince of Dong Nai has reported its first case of Zika – a woman who testedpositive for the mosquito-borne virus, local health department reported.
According to the department, the woman was 29weeks pregnant and lived in Bien Hoa city’s An Binh ward.
The test was conducted at the PasteursInstitute in HCM City and then revealed to the health department.
The local health department said on December4 it was carrying out control measures against the aedes mosquitoes near thewoman’s home to prevent the spread of the virus after the first case wasconfirmed.
Dong Nai is located at the gateway of keyeconomic areas to the south, near HCM City, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tauprovinces, which reported cases of Zika virus infection.
The local health sector had also undertakenmany preventive measures to avoid a possible Zika outbreak.
The country last month raised the threat levelfor Zika and stepped up monitoring of pregnant women after detecting more casesamid the growing outbreak in southern region.
Zika virus is transmitted between humans tohumans by mosquitoes. Infections have been linked to the birth defectmicrocephaly and miscarriages, posing a significant threat to pregnant women,according to the World Health Organisation.
There is currently no vaccine or effectivetreatment for the infection and companies and scientists are racing to developa vaccine. However, it is unlikely to be ready for widespread use for at leasttwo or three years.-VNA
