Vietnam confirms first Zika-tied birth defect case
The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health on October 30 confirmed Vietnam’s first microcephaly case likely related to the Zika virus.
Vietnam’s first microcephaly case likely related to the Zika virus (Source: vnexpress.net)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Departmen♏t of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health on October 30 confirmed Vietnam’s first microcephaly case likely relate𒁏d to the Zika virus.
The link to the virus was confirmed by laboratory tests, said health officials.
The first suspected case of the Zika-linked brain defect syndrome microcephaly was reported on October 14 in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. It affected a four-month-old baby whose mother was affected by the virus when she was pregnant.
The local hospital took samples from the baby girl and her mother and sent them to Japan’s Nagasaki University for further tests.
The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology found after at least five rounds of tests that the 23-year-old mother experienced Zika-like symptoms such as rash and high fever during the first and second trimesters of her pregnancy.
The Preventive Medicine Department has warned pregnant women to cancel non-essential travel to areas where the Zika virus is prevalent.
The disease is spread primarily by mosquitoes and the Health Ministry is urging people, particularly pregnant women, to take measures to prevent mosquito bites.
A total of 11 Zika virus cases has been confirmed in the country so far, including that four-month-old baby in Dak Lak, according to the Health Ministry.-VNA
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The Health Ministry launched a mosquito-killing drive across the country on Oct. 21 in the context of dengue fever spreading in central and southern regions and the discovery of the 7th Zika nfection.
The first Zika virus infection in the southern province of Long An was announced by the provincial Health Department at a press conference on October 24
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Despite the ongoing global circulation and unpredictable developments of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn’t issued new warnings about COVID-19, said the Ministry of Health.
Vietnam’s first microcephaly case likely related to the Zika virus (Source: vnexpress.net)
