Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial has ordered more intensive mosquito control campaigns over reports of two more Zika virus cases in Iloilo City.
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Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil past year and has spread to nearly 60 countries.
“Further research will be needed to shed light on this”, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told Parliament. The virus can also be transmitted through sex, from either a male or female partner who has been infected, and a few cases of apparent infection via blood transfusion have been reported.
The majority of the cases – 269 – are in the Aljunied cluster, where the first case of locally transmitted Zika was reported on Aug 27. The CDC said that since the causal relationship had been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years. In adults, it can cause a rare neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre.
Individuals who present with symptoms of rash, joint pains, and red eyes must visit health facilities to confirm the diagnosis.
The son didn’t report touching any bodily fluids, and other family members had similar interactions with the father without getting sick, Dunn said.
According to the researchers, the lineage of the Zika virus circulating in Asia is different from the one circulating in the Americas.
The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed yesterday that there are now three confirmed Zika cases in the country and they’re all in Iloilo City. The 10 people, who are contacts of the sixth case, have tested negative of the virus.
However, health officials learned the person helped provide care to another patient who was infected with Zika virus. It’s also possible that something might have changed in the virus for it to become more ‘infective.'”According to a MOH statement, “There is a potential new cluster involving one previously reported case and a new case [on September 3]”.
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Zika virus can pose serious threats to pregnant women as it can cause severe birth defects in babies.
