Most people never develop symptoms.
Advertisement
No current Zika cases have been reported in the country but in 2012, a 15-year-old boy reportedly was infected in central Cebu city but recovered fully, according to health department spokesman Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy. “Now they know”, he said.
Since the first cases in Brazil early last year, the virus has spread to 23 countries and territories, prompting epidemiologists to warn of up to four million cases a year across the continent. Unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes, the two Zika-carrying varieties feed in daylight, so the arrival of the virus would require a sea change in prevention habits.
“We have done years of research on a vaccine for dengue but we don’t yet have one”.
“It is to our advantage that we already have existing vaccine platforms to use as a sort of jumping-off point”, Fauci said. The race is on to develop a Zika vaccine.
No treatment or vaccine is available.
In the meantime, tropical Southeast Asian countries said on Friday they were bracing for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, with Malaysia saying it could “spread quickly” if introduced, but Thailand appeared to be bucking the trend with just a handful of cases a year.
Nigeria’s Health Ministry is warning citizens against traveling to Latin America because of the Zika virus outbreak, and is especially recommending that pregnant women not go there. It is uncertain whether in pregnant women the virus crosses the placenta and causes microcephaly.
Brazil’s Zika outbreak and its spike in microcephaly cases among babies have been concentrated in the poor and underdeveloped northeast, but the prosperous southeast, where Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are located, is the nation’s second hardest-hit region.
The virus has been linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly, which prevents fetus’ brains from developing properly. A meeting among health officials on Monday will determine whether to upgrade the level of the threat posed by the outbreak.
Evidence is strong Zika could be causing pregnant women to miscarry or deliver babies with abnormally small brains.
There have been reports of increased cases of a birth defect known as microcephaly that may be associated with Zika virus infection among pregnant women.
But Schuchat emphasized that the virus does not present a strong health risk to the average person.
Dr. Barnes said her clinic has not yet treated any patients with Zika. “It tends to be fever, red eyes, a rash and joint pain”.
The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week.
Advertisement
Malaysia’s Health Ministry said Zika had not yet been detected.
