A health worker guides people to collect waste and kill larvae to prevent dengue fever.. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Ngọc

ĐÀ NẴNG — The Ministry of Health on Monday reported a confirmed case of the Zika virus in a patient from Đà Nẵng.

The patient, a 25-year-old man, was found in Hòa Khánh Nam Ward, Liên Chiểu District, said deputy minister Nguyễn Xuân Tuyên.

Control measures have been enhanced in provinces and cities on the prevention and control of Zika and dengue fever.

The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, which is the same mosquito that spreads Dengue and Chikungunya fever.

The disease has been recorded in some southern provinces and cities in recent years.

The country's first case was reported in March 2016 in Khánh Hòa Province.

Việt Nam so far has reported a total 265 cases of Zika, mostly in the south, central and central highlands.

According to the Ministry of Health's reports, from the beginning of this year, the country also recorded 26,857 dengue cases in 58 provinces and cities, with three deaths in Bình Định, Bình Phước and Tây Ninh provinces.

In recent weeks, the number of dengue fever cases has increased in some provinces such as Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Đồng Nai and HCM City.

The rainy season is coming and provides favourable conditions for the development of mosquitoes and Zika, Tuyên said.

The ministry requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to implement measures to prevent the spread and control the disease.

Leaders of provincial and city health departments were asked to strengthen dengue fever supervision for early detection and wiping out outbreaks.

Campaigns should be organised to kill mosquitoes in high risk areas like markets, coach and train stations and hospitals. Communication campaigns should be held to enhance the community’s knowledge and encourage households to practice dengue fever prevention measures at home.

Health facilities in localities should closely monitor patients in the area, strictly control existing and emerging dengue outbreaks, organise chemical spraying to thoroughly handle the outbreak as soon as possible.

Units need to take samples of suspected Zika virus cases and send them to the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the Regional Pasteur Institute to conduct confirmatory tests to assess the circulation of Zika virus in order to actively deploy preventive measures.

The ministry also required health facilities to treat patients and minimise the number of deaths.

The classification of patients and hospitals that can provide treatment to dengue fever patients needs to be done well to avoid emergencies or overcrowding. — VNS