The Vietnam health ministry said that the number of confirmed citizens with Zika virus in the whole country has more than doubled over the past three days to 23, with a dozen new infections recorded in Ho Chi Minh City. Just last month, Vietnam raised the threat level on the said virus spread.
They also increased the monitoring of pregnant woman to keep a check on microcephaly cases. On Sunday, the Preventive Health Department of Vietnam confirmed the first case of microcephaly in the country. The case is the mother of a four-month-old child in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.
Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby's head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. During pregnancy, a baby’s head grows because the baby’s brain grows. Microcephaly can occur because a baby’s brain has not developed properly during pregnancy or has stopped growing after birth, which results in a smaller head size.
According to International Business Times, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders. There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika infection yet. Companies and scientists are working to develop a safe and effective vaccine for the virus. Zika is commonly said to be a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya.
People infected with Zika virus can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache. These symptoms of Zika normally last for two to seven days. This is direct information from the World Health Organization (WHO).
But reports show that an estimated 80 percent of Zika infected people do not have any symptoms. This makes it more difficult for people to understand whether they have been infected, especially for pregnant women.
The best way is to see doctors to help you with it. For now, let us hope that the number of infected people with Zika virus in Vietnam will be lessened.
