Vietnam Health Ministry Raises Warning Level for Zika Virus

Vietnam’ s Ministry of Health (MoH) has increased the Zika virus warning to level 3 - the dangerous level, according to director of the Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu. According to a study by authorities in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, the Zika virus is now carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, whose numbers are higher than those that carry the dengue virus. The most recent cases in Vietnam were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City with two female patients, one living in District 2 and the other in District 12, both testing positive. The other victims were diagnosed earlier this year, namely one woman in the southern province of Binh Duong on October 8, one in Nha Trang City in early April, and a male patient in the south-central province of Phu Yen on August 3. Four foreigners have also reported their infection during stays in the Southeast Asian country, including an Australian man in March, a Korean woman in May, a German woman and a Taiwanese man, both confirmed in September. (vtv.vn Oct 18, doisongphapluat.com Oct 18)