Vietnam Still Reports No Case of Zika Virus

Vietnam has discovered no case of Zika virus but the authorities still warn people travelling from Zika-virus-affected countries to be careful with their health conditions. The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne viral disease, is a rare tropical disease. The most common symptoms of the virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Currently, there is no cure for the virus, which until last year was mainly confined to Africa and Asia. But in 2015 the disease made the leap to the Western Hemisphere, affecting more than a million people in Brazil. It’s since spread to Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, and nine other countries. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Health Ministry, said that the agency was working with the World Health Organization on the disease. Meanwhile, Vietnam is currently fighting with the outbreak of dengue fever, which was also transmitted by mosquitoes. The country has seen 62,000 dengue fever cases in the first 11 months of 2015, which was a big jump from 2014. (Vietnam News Jan 13)