“Mosquito virus is already here and a single bite of mosquito to a human infected with the Zika virus can spread out in the Philippines because of the mobility of the people”, said DOH regional director Dr. Napoleon Arevalo. One of the 2016 cases affected a pregnant woman.
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He also stressed that the Aedes aegpyti mosquito, which spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever as well as Zika, remains the virus’ main vector and said the fight against the mosquito should be a top priority.
Brazil has reported 3 700 cases of suspected microcephaly that may be linked to Zika. With so many unknowns about Zika, researchers are keen to sequence the virus to see if it has evolved into a form capable of causing microcephaly, the feared birth defects seen so far in babies born in Brazil and French Polynesia after Zika’s arrival.
Transfusions in the two cases were traced to separate donors who had Zika, both of whom reported having suffered symptoms days after they gave blood.
Aedes aegypti, along with another mosquito species, Aedes albopictus, have been discovered in 12 of California’s 58 counties.
The Rio Olympics will not be cancelled because of the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, with sports minister George Hilton saying the topic “is not in discussion”. “The public health community in Brazil has observed Zika virus in the amniotic fluid prior to birth of children with this disease”.
Zika is linked to cases of Guillain-Barre, a rare immune system disorder that can cause temporary paralysis.
WA chief health officer Professor Tarun Weeramanthri said there was no risk to West Australians who had not travelled to Zika-affected countries in recent months. “Because how can they ask those women not to become pregnant but also not offer them first information that is available, but the possibility to stop their pregnancies if they wish?”
The news that Brazil was not sharing many virus samples came as a surprise to many senior scientists, including officials at World Health Organization and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the governor of Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency over Zika.
Schaffner said uncertainties remain about sexual transmission of the virus, including how long a person might be able to transmit it or whether an infected person must have had symptomatic Zika in order to be able to transmit Zika through sex.
He also emphasized that there is no definitive link between the Zika virus and microcephaly.
The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition in newborns marked by abnormally small heads and brains that have not developed properly.
The mosquito-borne virus has so far spread to 26 countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean and health authorities have warned it could infect up to four million people on the continent and spread worldwide.
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Earlier, Brazilian scientists said they had detected for the first time active samples of Zika in urine and saliva.
