Hanoi (VNA) – More than 200 samples collected from many localities across the nation were tested negative for Zika virus, which is worrying many countries all over the world, the General Department of Preventive Medicine announced on March 19.
This means that Vietnam had recorded no cases of Zika virus by March 18, said the agency.
The general department will continue inspection and coordination with other relevant agencies to prevent the disease from entering Vietnam.
Earlier, an anti-mosquito campaign urging each individual to adopt self-protection measures was launched by the Health Ministry.
The ministry 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 general department’s website: www.vncdc.gov.vn.
People coming from these countries should keep an eye on their health for 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
