Thailand looks into suspected first cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in SEA
Thailand is currently investigating four suspected Zika-linked microcephaly cases in three babies and one 36-week old unborn baby, according to the country’s public health minister. If the cases are confirmed, they will be the first Zika-linked microcephaly cases in the Southeast Asia region.
Among the countries in Southeast Asia that reported increasing numbers of the mosquito-borne Zika virus infection, Thailand has the highest figures in the region, with 349 confirmed cases since January that includes 25 pregnant women.
In an interview, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Piyasakon Sakolsatayadorn said it will take at least two days for the lab results to come out, adding that they have to be thorough as a link hasn’t been detected before. He added that the situation is a big deal and a sensitive matter for the country.
There are 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.
Piyasakon said the three babies were born with small heads and an ultrasound appeared to indicate the unborn baby had a small head.
Of the four mothers, two were diagnosed with Zika when they were pregnant but two were not confirmed to have had Zika, said Apichai Mongkol, director-general of the ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.The WHO has also said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
According to the WHO, new countries that reported new cases of Zika include the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore, which has recorded 393 cases since its first one in August, including 16 pregnant women.
According to the WHO, there are two major lineages of Zika – an African lineage, which has only been reported in Africa, where the virus was first discovered in 1947, and an Asian lineage of strains.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes.
An estimated 80% of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.
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