HÀ NỘI – Eight inspection teams from the Ministry of Health (MoH) have checked Zika virus disease and dengue fever prevention and control measures in 16 provinces and cities, the Preventive Medicines Centre said today.

The provinces and cities included Hà Nội, Thanh Hóa, Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên-Huế, besides HCM City, Bình Dương and Đắk Lắk.

The inspection showed that most localities were well-prepared and had plans to prevent the outbreak of Zika and dengue fever.

People’s committees at different levels have instructed concerned organisations to participate in the work.

The local health sector has strictly followed the MoH’s professional guidance about disease prevention.

The inspection teams asked several provinces and cities that did not conduct any campaign to eradicate mosquito larvae, such as Hải Phòng and Thanh Hóa, to immediately do so.

The inspectors provided more guidance to provinces and cities in preventing and controlling diseases, and asked them to improve awareness via media to give people more information about the diseases.

Suspected Zika cases should be tested, and medical stations must prepare enough beds, medicines and other infrastructure to be ready to receive patients.

More training should be given to medical workers at the grassroots level, and to the task forces in case an epidemic breaks out.

Earlier, HCM City and the central Khánh Hòa Province saw two Zika cases. Both localities announced the recovery of the patients on April 22 this year. Since then, the country has not seen any more Zika cases.

Zika is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. People affected by Zika can have symptoms such as mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis and muscle and joint pain, besides general malaise or headache. These symptoms normally last for two to seven days. There is scientific consensus that Zika can cause microcephaly and the Guillain-Barré syndrome. Links to other neurological complications are also being investigated, according to the World Health Organisation. – VNS