Vietnamese health officials have confirmed the first Zika virus infections in the country in two women from Khanh Hoa province and Ho Chi Minh city,  Assoc Tran Dac Phu, director of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Ministry of Health said in a press conference Monday (computer translated).

Aedes aegypti/CDC
Aedes aegypti/CDC

The Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology / Pasteur  tested 1,215 samples in 32 provinces and cities across the country and detected 2 cases positive for Zika virus in Khanh Hoa province and Ho Chi Minh city.

Details of the cases are as follows:

The first patient is a 64-year-old woman from Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province. She presented with a slight fever, headache, rash on the legs and pinkeye on Mar. 26. She attempted to treat herself at home but did not get better and two days later was admitted to  Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Test results dated 03.31.2016 in Nha Trang Pasteur Institute positive for Zika virus; Confirmation testing at the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Institute Pasteur in HCM was positive for Zika virus Monday.

The second patient, a 33-year-old woman from Ho Chi Minh city had an onset of symptoms on Mar. 29–rash, conjunctivitis, fatigue and examined at the Hospital District 2 on the same day due to fear of rubella. She was hospitalized and tested positive for Zika at the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology on Apr. 2. Testing at Nagasaki University was positive on Monday.

These cases follow a report of an Australian tourist in Vietnam who was diagnosed with Zika infection last month.

Speaking at a press conference,  Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the two cases were currently in stable condition and monitoring of the women’s household contacts and surrounding households have not uncovered any additional Zika cases. He also added that the first two Zika cases in Vietnam were transmitted by mosquitoes, not through sexual transmission or other route.

Related: