The Ministry of Health (MoH) on September 5th asked provincial and city People’s Committees to increase the prevention of diseases caused by Zika virus and petechial fever.

A water container is inspected for larva prevention. (Photo: SGGPO)

Accordingly, the MoH stressed the need to kill mosquito larva, ensuring that all departments, sectors and social and political organizations participate in the prevention.

Authorised agencies will be responsible for strictly supervising the prevention, promptly detecting cases to deal with possible outbreaks, taking medical samples from suspected cases for testing at the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Pasteur Institutes to assess the circulation of Zika virus for increased prevention, spraying chemicals to destroy mosquitoes at outbreaks for 2-3 times to completely treat with the outbreaks, receiving patients and minimising fatalities.

According to Nguyen Thanh Long, MoH Deputy Minister, Vietnam has reported 3 cases of Zika virus infections and some foreign tourists have also been confirmed to contract the virus after touring some countries, including Vietnam. Meanwhile, petechial fever is likely to develop due to unstable development of weather.

Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that 70 countries and territories have reported the transmission of Zika virus, with 11 having human-to-human transmission, while petechial fever is undergoing complex development in many countries in the Asia – Pacific region and Latin America./.

( Compiled by VNF )