A city worker
fumigates the area to control the spread of mosquitoes at a temple in Bangkok,
Thailand, September 14, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom/File Photo
Thailand is considering testing all pregnant
women for Zika, the health ministry said on Monday, following confirmation last
week of its first known cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small
head size, linked to the Zika virus.
The two confirmed cases of microcephaly were
the first in Southeast Asia linked to mosquito-borne Zika, which has been
spreading in the region after outbreaks in the Americas.
"The health minister has asked us to
study whether this is necessary and cost-effective," health ministry
permanent secretary Sophon Mekthon told Reuters, referring to free tests for
all pregnant women.
A Zika test costs about 2,000 baht ($58) but
repeat tests are often needed, Sophon said.
"At the moment, we check pregnant women
in Zika-affected areas only, not all pregnant women. So far, we've tested about
1,000 pregnant women."
Zika infections in pregnant women have been
shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain
are undersized - as well as other brain abnormalities.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly
first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than
1,800 cases of microcephaly.
Thailand has confirmed 392 Zika cases since
January, including 39 pregnant women, and Singapore has recorded 393 Zika
cases, including 16 pregnant women.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention has said people should consider postponing travel to Brunei,
Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand,
East Timor, and Vietnam.
The CDC has already issued a "travel
notice" for Singapore.
There is no vaccine or treatment and an
estimated 80 percent of people infected with Zika have no symptoms, making it
difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.
Sexual transmission of the virus has also
been reported.
Zika testing is free in Singapore for
pregnant women with symptoms of the virus or with male partners who are
Zika-positive. Pregnant women without symptoms get subsidized tests.
Some health experts have accused
tourism-dependent Thailand of playing down the Zika risk but health officials
have dismissed that.
Health authorities in the region say they are
stepping up monitoring, but there has been little testing and some officials
say the real number of cases was bound to be higher than the confirmed figure.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and
Indonesia have all reported at least one case.
In adults, Zika infections have also been
linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as
other neurological disorders.
(Additonal reporting by Fathin Ungku in
SINGAPORE; Editing by Robert Birsel)
No comments:
Post a Comment