Vietnam will use 3,000 three-in-one test kits, which are called Trioplex, to speed the diagnosis of Zika virus infections as Zika virus develops complicatedly in some Southeast Asian countries, said Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Phu said that most of Southeast Asian nations reported infection cases of Zika virus disease and the number of infection tends to escalate in some countries especially in Singapore. Though testing of virus’ gene showed that the virus is not as lethal as that in the South America yet medical workers should not ignored.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health decided to use 3,000 three-in-one test kits to increase medical facilities’ detection. The kits will allow doctors to determine in a single test whether a person is infected with Zika, dengue or chikungunya, the Ministry said.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided Vietnam with the three-in-one laboratory test for mosquito-borne infections. A representative of FDA highly appreciated Vietnam’s quick response to the epidemic and confirmed it would be willing to support Vietnam’s epidemic monitoring system.
