Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City has so far detected 139 Zika patients in 23 out of its 24 districts, including 18 pregnant women, the municipal Preventive Medicine Center said Sunday.

Because Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, Vietnamese residents are being urged to actively kill mosquitoes and their larvae, and use mosquito nets when sleeping.

To date, Vietnam has spotted 149 Zika cases, including 139 from Ho Chi Minh City, two each in Dak Lak, Binh Duong and Ba Ria Vung Tau provinces, and one in Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Long An and Dong Nai provinces respectively.

source: Xinhua