One Zika virus infection case confirmed in central Vietnam

HANOI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- One patient in Vietnam's central Phu Yen province, some 950 km south of capital Hanoi, was confirmed to be positive with Zika virus on Wednesday.

According to Phu Yen health department, the 27-year-old patient called Duong Dinh Tinh started getting fever on June 27, 2016, together with symptoms of muscle and joint pain, reported Vietnam's state-run news agency.

With appearance of dotted rash on his body, Tinh was hospitalized in Phu Yen's Son Hoa district general hospital on June 30.

The patient's samples were tested and showed that he was negative with dengue virus but positive with Zika virus, reported VNA.

As soon as learning about the Zika infection, Phu Yen health department set up a monitoring group at the patient's home and other 30 surrounding households.

As of Wednesday, no more Zika case has been reported in the area.

Local health authorities urged close coordination with relevant agencies in the province in detecting suspected cases to prevent the disease from spreading, according to VNA.

The patients who received medical treatment in Son Hoa general hospital from June 30 to July 7 will also be monitored.

In early April, Vietnam reported two Zika infection cases in southern Khanh Hoa province and Ho Chi Minh City. The country declared free of Zika cases in late April.

Zika is known as a virus that spreads through bites from Aedes aegypti mosquito. The virus is particularly risky for pregnant women as it is thought to be linked to a rare birth defect, which causes newborn babies to have unusually small, damaged brain.