A confirmed Zika virus infection ex Vietnam was reported to GeoSentinel® by Eli Schwartz, GeoSentinel® Site Director, Israel. The 61-year old male traveller presented on January 4th with febrile illness, rash and arthralgia following a month-long trip to Vietnam. He spent the final two days of his travel in Hong Kong. His illness began 2 days after return to Israel making acquisition in Hong Kong unlikely. The most probable area of Zika acquisition in Vietnam is Ho-Chi Minh City (Saigon). Zika virus infection was confirmed by blood PCR and positive IgM serology (Euroimmun) performed by the Central Virology Laboratory of the Israeli Ministry of Health at Sheba Medical Center. Dengue and CHIKV were negative by serology, PCR and dengue NS1. The presence of ZIKV was reported in Vietnam in 1963 (Pond WL 1963) although only 1/50 patients (2%) had serological evidence of infection based on a viral neutralization assay performed in mice. However, the current report is the first travel-related ZIKV acquired in Vietnam. The case illustrates that Zika is likely circulating more widely than officially reported and highlights the role of travelers as sentinels. GeoSentinel® sites worldwide are reporting cases of Zika in returning travelers. Those visiting areas where Aedes mosquitoes are present are advised to avoid day-biting mosquitoes to prevent dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. See CDC Travelers’ Health (www.cdc.gov/zika) and other health authorities.
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A confirmed Zika virus infection ex Vietnam was reported to GeoSentinel® by Eli Schwartz, GeoSentinel® Site Director, Israel. The 61-year old male traveller presented on January 4th with febrile illness, rash and arthralgia following a month-long trip to Vietnam. He spent the final two days of his travel in Hong Kong. His illness began 2 days after return to Israel making acquisition in Hong Kong unlikely. The most probable area of Zika acquisition in Vietnam is Ho-Chi Minh City (Saigon). Zika virus infection was confirmed by blood PCR and positive IgM serology (Euroimmun) performed by the Central Virology Laboratory of the Israeli Ministry of Health at Sheba Medical Center. Dengue and CHIKV were negative by serology, PCR and dengue NS1. The presence of ZIKV was reported in Vietnam in 1963 (Pond WL 1963) although only 1/50 patients (2%) had serological evidence of infection based on a viral neutralization assay performed in mice. However, the current report is the first travel-related ZIKV acquired in Vietnam. The case illustrates that Zika is likely circulating more widely than officially reported and highlights the role of travelers as sentinels. GeoSentinel® sites worldwide are reporting cases of Zika in returning travelers. Those visiting areas where Aedes mosquitoes are present are advised to avoid day-biting mosquitoes to prevent dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. See CDC Travelers’ Health (www.cdc.gov/zika) and other health authorities.