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 The confirmation of two case of microcephaly, a birth defect marked
by small head size, came a day after U.S. health officials
recommended that pregnant women postpone non-essential travel to 11
Southeast Asian countries because of the risk of Zika.
"We have found two cases of small heads linked to Zika, the first
cases in Thailand," Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the
Department of Disease Control, told reporters in Bangkok.
He declined to say where in Thailand the cases were found but
officials have said they were not in Bangkok.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the cases were the first of
Zika-linked microcephaly in Southeast Asia and the virus infection
represented a serious threat to pregnant women and their unborn
children.
"Countries across the region must continue to strengthen measures
aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to Zika virus
transmission," Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the WHO's regional
director, said in a statement.
U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in
pregnant women can cause microcephaly, which can lead to severe
developmental problems in babies.
VIRUS SPREADING
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light
last year in Brazil, which has confirmed more than 1,800 cases of
microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in
the mothers.
Zika has spread extensively in Latin American and the Caribbean over
the past year or so, and more recently it has been cropping up in
Southeast Asia.
Thailand has confirmed 349 Zika cases since January, including 33
pregnant women, and Singapore has recorded 393 Zika cases, including
16 pregnant women.
Some health experts have accused Thai officials of playing down the
risk of Zika to protect its thriving tourist industry, but Prasert
dismissed that.
"Thailand is not hiding anything and is ready to disclose
everything," he said, adding that other countries in Southeast Asia
might also have cases of Zika-linked microcephaly that they have not
disclosed.
The WHO said Thailand's response was an example for the region.
"Thailand's diligence underscores the commitment of health
authorities to the health and wellbeing of the Thai public, and
provides a positive example to be emulated," Singh said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on
Thursday people should consider postponing travel to Brunei,
Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines,
Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), and Vietnam.
The CDC has already issued a "travel notice" for Singapore, and said
such a warning would be considered for the new countries if the
number of cases rose to the level of an outbreak.
Thailand's confirmation of Zika-linked microcephaly comes ahead of
China's week-long "Golden Week" holiday with Thailand expecting
220,000 Chinese visitors, up from 168,000 for the week in 2015,
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told
Reuters.
NO VACCINE
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika. An estimated 80 percent
of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for
pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.
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There are also no specific tests to determine if a baby will be born
with microcephaly, but ultrasound scans in the third trimester of
pregnancy can identify the problem, according to the WHO.
Zika is commonly transmitted through mosquitoes but can also be
transmitted sexually.
Another Thai health ministry adviser urged everyone to work to stop
the spread of mosquitoes but said people should not panic.
"Don't have sex with a Zika-infected person. If you don't know if
they are infected, then use a condom," the adviser, Pornthep
Siriwanarangsan, told reporters. "We can't stop women from becoming
pregnant ... but we mustn't panic."
Health authorities in the region said they were stepping up
monitoring, but there has been little testing and officials said the
real number of cases was bound to be higher than the confirmed
figure.
"We do not test everybody, we test only those who are symptomatic,"
said Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubia, health secretary in the Philippines,
which has reported 12 Zika cases.
"Yes, we are positive that the number is higher because we are not
testing everyone."
Malaysia, which has reported six cases of Zika, including two in
pregnant women, said it would seek information from Thailand on the
particular strain of the Zika virus there.
"We are taking serious notice of the reports in Thailand, and we
will reach out to the Thai authorities for more information ... so
that we can be more prepared," Malaysia's health minister,
Subramaniam Sathasivam, told Reuters.
Authorities in Vietnam, which has reported three cases of Zika,
ordered stepped up monitoring of pregnant women.
In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, head of disease outbreak and
surveillance Dwi Oktavia said there had been no sign of any increase
in birth defects there. Indonesia had one Zika case in 2015 but has
confirmed none since then.
Microcephaly in babies can lead to respiratory problems related to
malformation of the brain, a serious threat to the lives of babies.
Children with microcephaly face lifelong difficulties, including
intellectual impairment.
Zika was first identified in Uganda in 1947 and first isolated in
Asia in the 1960s. It was unknown in the Americas until 2014.
(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Juarawee Kittisilpa
and Panarat Thepgumpanat, Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA, Roxanna
Latiff in KUALA LUMPUR, Karen Lima in MANILA and Pham Thi Huyen My
in HANOI; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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