Vietnam Declares End of Zika Outbreak in HCMC, Khanh Hoa

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has announced that the Zika virus outbreak is over in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Khanh Hoa province, according to the General Department of Preventive Medicine on April 25. No new cases have been found in HCMC and Khanh Hoa for the last 24 days since the first cases were reported, said the department, adding that necessary measures are being taken across the country to prevent the virus from breaking out again. On April 5, two cases of the Zika virus were confirmed in Vietnam. One of the cases is a 32-year-old woman from District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City. The other is a 64-year-old woman in Nha Trang City. An Australian man was also tested positive after a visit to Vietnam. 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 the disease. (Tien Phong – Pioneer Apr 27 p2, Phap Luat Vietnam – Vietnam Law Apr 27 p8)