HCM City: No Zika virus found after city-linked RoK case reported
No case suspected of carrying Zika virus has been detected in District 7, HCM City, since a Republic of Korea (RoK) woman was found with Zika virus on her return home from the city.
The municipal Preventive Medicine Centre said it has not detected any suspected Zika cases in the past month, both at the RoK patient’s residence and workplace.
From April 10 - April 30, 2016, the patient worked at the RoK International School in Tan Phu ward, District 7 and registered her temporary residence in the Sky Garden 2 residential area in Phu My Hung, District 7.
After being bitten by mosquitoes, she broke out in a rash on April 28.
After learning about the case from the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department, the municipal Preventive Medicine Centre coordinated with the District 7’s preventive medicine centre to carry out epidemiological and environmental inspections at the patient’s workplace and residence but found no mosquitoes or larvae.
The MoH said it would continue to closely work with the RoK’s International Health Regulations agency to verify other relevant information to assist the identification of the source of epidemic.
In early April, a Zika case was detected in Thanh My Loi ward, District 2. But on April 22, the city declared the end of the epidemic at ward level given that no new case was found.
The MoH advised the public to take proactive measures to keep them away from mosquitoes and to kill mosquitoes and larvae as well as to monitor the health of those who go to or leave areas hit by the virus.