Aircraft required to spray mosquito repellent in bid to combat Zika

By Le Phuong, Tuan Dam   April 6, 2016 | 02:39 am PT
Aircraft required to spray mosquito repellent in bid to combat Zika
Tan Son Nhat International Airport has stepped up measures to stop the Zika virus. Photo by VnExpress
Ho Chi Minh City's Health Department has asked airlines arriving from Zika-hit areas to spray mosquito repellent before landing at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

The Health Department recently sent an urgent notice to the Center for International Health Quarantine to call for a a Zika virus protection and prevention plan.

Airlines are asked to spray mosquito repellent for planes departing from Zika epidemic areas before entering Vietnam, said a local health official.

In case any passenger is suspected of carrying the Zika virus, Tan Son Nhat International Airport will coordinate with the city's health sector to transfer the suspected case to the Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

The Health Department is also sterilizing airplanes and the area around the airport to control the risk of contamination, while authorities are educating passangers on how to identify and prevent the Zika virus.

The international airport in Ho Chi Minh City has a fever scanning system to detect people who might have a fever or high temperature.

With the risk of Zika spreading in Ho Chi Minh City, Director of the Health Department Nguyen Tan Binh called for competent authorities, offices, companies and citizens to help kill mosquitoes and their larvae.

More than 60 countries have reported the apperance of Zika, that has spread wildly in central and south America. Countries around Vietnam including Thailand, Laos, China and Cambodia have also recorded cases of the virus.

On April 5, two cases of the Zika virus were confirmed in Vietnam. One of the cases is a 32-year-old woman from District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City. She started developing symptoms such as severe fever, conjunctivitis and fatigue last Tuesday and went to the district general hospital the same day. She subsequently tested positive for the Zika virus.

 
 
go to top