Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam may see more Zika cases because community immunityto the mosquito-borne Zika virus is still low, particularly in central,southern and Central Highland provinces.

Deputy Director of the health ministry’s Diseases Control Division Nguyen Duc Khoamade the warning at a talk held on the Government’s e-portal chinhphu.vn on November 24.

He said that as of November 21, Zika had been found in seven provinces andcities, namely Binh Duong, Long An, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Phu Yen, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoaand HCM City.

So far, Zika was found mostly in localities with temperatures of 20-30 degreesCelsius, which aids the development of the mosquitoes which carry the viruscausing Zika.

Meanwhile, HCM City’s Preventive Medicine Centre diagnosed nine more Zikapatients by November 25, bringing the total number of cases in the city to 74and total number of cases in the country to 83.

Dr Tran Danh Cuong, deputy director of the Central Obstetrics Hospital, saidthat Zika is dangerous for pregnant women and about 3-12 percent of babies withZika-infected mothers suffered from microcephaly, in which babies are born withabnormally small heads and restricted brain development.

He said that there is no medicine to treat the disease and no vaccine toprevent it.

Pregnant women living in or travelling to areas with Zika should go to hospitalfor Zika tests, Cuong said, adding that doctors could detect microcephaly fromthe 18th week ofpregnancy.

Women who were suspected to have Zika during their first three months ofpregnancy could receive free Zika tests at healthcare centres, he said.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation declared that themosquito-borne Zika virus will no longer be treated as an international medicalemergency. However, by lifting its nine-month-old declaration, the UN’s healthagency is acknowledging that Zika is here to stay.

The move is not a demotion of the disease, Pete Salama, executive director ofWHO’s health emergencies programme, told a press conference.

“We are not downgrading the importance of Zika. By placing it as a longer-termprogramme of work, we are saying Zika is here to stay and the WHO’s response ishere to stay.”-VNA