First two cases of Zika virus infection reported in Vietnam

A 64-year old woman in Phuoc Hoa ward, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa province and another woman, 33, in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City fell sick in late March, and three rounds of tests have confirmed they are Zika-positive, the ministry said in a statement.

They are in stable condition now while no further infections among their relatives and neighbors have been found, the ministry said.

Zika is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit the virus to humans. The World Health Organization on February 1 declared the Zika virus outbreak to be a global public health emergency, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly. More than 4,000 cases have been reported in Brazil since October 2015.