Health
officials are touring the provinces in a fleet of vehicles plastered with
warnings and mounted with loudspeakers to raise awareness about the Zika virus
and share strategies to prevent its outbreak, the Health Ministry said on
Wednesday.
Zika, a
mosquito-borne and sexually transmitted disease that has caused birth defects
across Latin America, has been detected in growing numbers of people in
Southeast Asia over the past month. More than 500 cases have been recorded
across Singapore and Thailand this year, according to local media reports, as
well as at least 40 cases in Malaysia and three in Vietnam.
No cases
have been reported in Cambodia since 2010, but Health Ministry spokesman Ly
Sovann said officials were preparing for the worst.
The fleet
of Zika-awareness vehicles left for the provinces on Wednesday to distribute
leaflets and disseminate advice, Mr. Sovann said, adding that he did not know
how many vehicles were part of the fleet.
The
campaign may also include public service announcements on television, the
spokesman said. “The ministry is considering producing a Zika educational spot,
but it is still waiting to discuss this with technical experts,” he said.
And if
Zika does spread to Cambodia, there are 2,000 health professionals trained to
diagnose, treat and contain the virus, he said.
In an
advisory released on Tuesday, the Health Ministry recommended that people wear
long sleeves, pants and repellant to avoid mosquito bites, and cover containers
of standing water that act as mosquito breeding grounds.
It also
warned Cambodian travelers returning from Zika-affected countries to avoid
unprotected intercourse for six months.
“Those
who have unprotected sex—but don’t want to get pregnant due to concerns about
Zika—must use birth control or discuss with doctors,” it said.
Seven
cases of Zika were found in Cambodia between 2007 and 2010, according to the
Health Ministry, but the patients made a full recovery and the cases did not
lead to birth defects.
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