Zika infections at ‘epidemic' in Vietnam's largest city

By Bennett Murray

HANOI, Vietnam (AA) – The Zika virus has reached pandemic levels in Ho Chi Minh City, with the number of cases in Vietnam now reaching nine.

VN Express news site reported Thursday that the situation in the city’s An Phu and Hiep Thanh communities, where five people have been infected, had been declared an epidemic by local authorities.

While Zika -- spread by mosquitoes -- causes generally non-fatal flu-like symptoms, infected pregnant women have been known to give birth to children with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

Vietnam saw its first cause of a likely Zika-linked birth defect earlier this month when doctors discovered a four-month old baby in Dak Lak province with microcephaly.

While the mother went unscreened for the virus during the pregnancy, she has since tested positive.

Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the municipal health department, linked the outbreak to heavy rains which encourage mosquito breeding.

The city has also seen a 19 per cent rise in Dengue fever, which is carried by the same mosquito as Zika.