Thailand reports 2 cases linked to Zika virus
Print Edition
THAILAND yesterday reported the first confirmed cases in Southeast Asia of microcephaly linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus, as the World Health Organization urged action across the region.
The confirmation of two cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size, came a day after US health officials recommended that pregnant women postpone non-essential travel to 11 Southeast Asian countries because of the risk of Zika.
“We have found two cases of small heads linked to Zika, the first cases in Thailand,” Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the Department of Disease Control, told reporters in Bangkok.
He declined to say where the cases were found but officials have said they were not in Bangkok.
The WHO said the cases were the first of Zika-linked microcephaly in Southeast Asia and the virus infection represented a serious threat to pregnant women and their unborn children.
“Countries across the region must continue to strengthen measures aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to Zika virus transmission,” Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the WHO’s regional director, said in a statement.
US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, which can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has confirmed more than 1,800 cases it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
Zika has spread extensively in Latin American and the Caribbean over the past year or so, and more recently it has been cropping up in Southeast Asia.
Thailand has confirmed 349 Zika cases since January, including 33 pregnant women, and Singapore has recorded 393 cases, including 16 pregnant women.
The WHO said Thailand’s response was an example for the region. “Thailand’s diligence underscores the commitment of health authorities to the health and wellbeing of the Thai public, and provides a positive example to be emulated,” Singh said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people should consider postponing travel to Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.
It has already issued a “travel notice” for Singapore, and said such a warning would be considered for the new countries if the number of cases rose to the level of an outbreak.
Thailand’s confirmation of Zika-linked microcephaly came ahead of China’s weeklong National Day holiday, with Thailand expecting 220,000 Chinese visitors, up from 168,000 for the same week in 2015, Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.
An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for women to know if they are infected.
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