Brazil deploys 220,000 troops to fight mosquitoes that cause brain shrinkage in newborns

Brazil will deploy some 220,000 troops next month to go door-to-door in the fight against the mosquito-borne Zika virus, aiming to stop the disease believed to cause microcephaly in babies.

Soldiers will go door-to-door on February 13 to distribute leaflets on how to protect yourself from the Zika virus. The campaign, which is expected to last just one day, will involve several branches of the armed forces, the Brazilian Health Ministry said.

A woman holds her baby with microcephaly at a hospital in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Photo: CNN

Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro also said the government would distribute mosquito repellent to about 400,000 pregnant women. He assessed Zika as Brazil's "number one enemy", and admitted that the country was "failing badly" in the fight against the virus.

More than 3,800 babies in Brazil have recently been born with microcephaly, a previously rare condition linked to the Zika virus. The babies have brain damage and unusually small heads.

Zika is becoming a serious problem in several countries across South and Central America. In addition to Brazil, the governments of El Salvador and Colombia have warned women to avoid pregnancy if possible during the summer months. El Salvador is also warning women to avoid pregnancy until 2018 if possible, as the country works to improve its health infrastructure.

Vietnam is located in an area where dengue fever is endemic, with the Zika virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to closely monitor the developments and risks of the disease, as well as strengthen surveillance and prevention measures. These agencies recommend that there is no specific treatment or vaccine for Zika virus disease, so the most effective preventive measure is to limit the transmission of the virus by eliminating mosquitoes, mosquito reservoirs and larvae.

According to VNE