(VOVworld) – Vietnam’s Ministry of Health is cooperating with provinces nationwide to fight the Zika epidemic after the first 2 cases of infection in Vietnam were detected this week.

The Ministry of Health has sent taskforces to Khanh Hoa province and Ho Chi Minh city where the cases of Zika infection were reported. Khanh Hoa province has carried out epidemiological studies, sprayed mosquito larvae with chemical agents and have taken other preventive measures. The provincial People’s Committee has announced a Zika epidemic at the communal level. Nguyen Dac Tai, Vice-chairman of the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, said: “After the first case was detected, the patient’s area was quarantined immediately. Disinfectants will be sprayed in high-risk areas in Nha Trang city. A campaign will be launched to encourage all communes to kill mosquito larvae during April.”

Associate Professor Phan Trong Lan, Director of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh city, said all necessary measures have been taken to prevent the virus from spreading: “After detecting mosquito larvae near the patient’s home, we cooperated with local medical centers to find out if there are Zika-virus carrying insects in the area. A 200-meter-radius quarantine area has been established. The building where the patient has been living has been sprayed with anti-larvae substances. Attention should be paid to the city’s Botanical Garden which is a high-risk area.”

HCM city’s medical authorities said healthcare centers are ready in terms of personnel and drugs to treat patients. The medical sector has advised airlines to spray anti-mosquito substances on their flights, particularly those coming from Zika-virus-infected areas or carrying passengers from such areas, before reaching Tan Son Nhat airport.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has praised the efforts of Khanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh city in fighting the epidemic. She said Vietnam’s medical sector is ready to cope with any possible Zika outbreak.