The other two strains from patients who did not travel to any of the countries with an ongoing infection had sequences similar to that of Zika virus that has been circulating in the region for decades.
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Ministry of Public Health spokesman Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said sixteen out of Thailand’s 76 provinces have confirmed cases of Zika since January.
A number of Zika virus cases are being reported in Southeast Asia over the past couple of weeks, of which many cases are believed to be of locally transmitted infection. Even so, it is apparent that knowledge about the virus among Thais is still limited, despite the fact that the country’s first Zika case was discovered back in 1960. Just recently, the state reported that 84 pregnant women have tested positive for the virus, including 15 who have already given birth.
Malaysia’s Education Ministry on Saturday (Sep 10) instructed all school trips to Singapore and the Philippines to be cancelled in the wake of the spread of the Zika virus in the two countries.
Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
Thailand welcomed almost 30 million visitors in 2015, making it one of the world’s top destinations. The virus can cause birth defects and can also result in microcephaly in which the baby’s head is smaller than expected. Infected people are being advised to stay home for 30 days.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Admin-istration (BMA) reported that there are now more than 20 Zika virus infection cases in several districts of the capital city with the Sathorn area having the most cases.
The Zika virus outbreak started in early 2015 in Brazil. The 27-year old woman, who is between three and four months pregnant, lives in Johor, a southern city right across the border to Singapore. Even advanced economies such as Singapore, however, can not completely eradicate mosquitoes or prevent the illnesses that they bring such as dengue and now Zika.
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“The Ministry of Public Health don’t want people to be afraid, so they say they have it under control”, Samlee told Reuters.
