Two new Zika cases found in southern region of Vietnam

Two people, o­ne from Ho Chi Minh City and the other from neighbouring Binh Duong province, have been tested positive with Zika virus, according to the Department of Preventive Medicine (DPM) under the Ministry of Health. HCM City and Binh Duong have been urged to take urgent measures to prevent the virus from spreading among the community.

On October 8, it was confirmed that a 28-year-old woman in Ho Chi Minh City and a 27-year-old pregnant woman in neighbouring Binh Duong province, tested positive to Zika virus.

The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health (MoH) said o­n October 10 that it has instructed the two localities' Departments of Health to investigate the source of the infections, including vectors, in the areas where the two patients live and work as well as surrounding areas.

The departments were also asked to decontaminate areas where infections were found and monitor the pregnant patient in order to provide timely consultation for her.

About 300 people in Thuan An town, Binh Duong province, where the Zika case was reported, received intensive medical check-ups. Blood samples of those with a fever were sent to the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute.

The local Health Department has also sprayed chemicals to kill larvae in the area where the first Zika case was reported.

Tu Tan Thu, an official of the provincial Health Department, said private obstetric clinics in the locality have coordinated with relevant departments and agencies to report o­n cases displaying symptoms relating to the Zika virus.

Vietnam is identified as the country with Zika virus as it recorded three infections in HCM City, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.

WHO warns of Zika virus spread in Asia-Pacific

There is a high risk of Zika virus spreading through Asia-Pacific as hundreds of cases have been reported in Singapore and Thailand, with two babies diagnosed with Zika-linked microcephaly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned.

In its annual regional report released in Manila, the Philippines, o­n October 10, the WHO said the mosquito-borne virus has been detected in 70 countries worldwide, including at least 19 in Asia-Pacific.

It is highly likely that the Asia-Pacific region, which includes China, Japan, Australia, most Southeast Asian nations and the Pacific islands, will continue to report new cases and possibly new outbreaks of Zika, according to WHO director for health security and emergencies Li Ailan.

Singaporean health workers are spraying chemicals to kills mosquitoes (Source: AFP/VNA)

Li said Zika has been in the region since 1947 but it was difficult to pinpoint if individuals had been infected overseas. In addition, the region's tropical weather, large mosquito populations and the large number of international travelers also pose problems to the control of the virus.

The WHO's latest statistics show that there have been more than 400 Zika cases detected in Singapore alone, while Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia have also reported infections.

Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever. The virus causes o­nly mild symptoms in most, including fever, sore eyes and a rash. But pregnant women infected with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly -- a deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads.

Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat the disease.

Brazil is worst affected by the Zika outbreak with about 1.5 million patients.