Thailand calms public fear over Zika virus

Thai people should not be in a panic over the Zika virus, the Public Health Ministry said on February 2, after a second case of the virus was confirmed in the country.

Thai people should not be in a panic over the Zika virus, the Public Health Ministry said on February 2, after a second case of the virus was confirmed in the country.

 Spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes in Bangkok (Source: Reuters)

Though unconfirmed, Zika virus has recently been linked with microencephaly, in which babies are born with an abnormally small head, as there has been a very high instance of the condition in Brazil – where the Zika outbreak is thought to have originated.

Thailand’s new Zika patient is a 22-year-old man who was admitted to Bangkok’s Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital on January 24 with fever, a rash, conjunctivitis, and muscle weakness. The virus was then confirmed by blood tests.

The man has since recovered and been discharged from the hospital after two days of treatment.

According to Amnuay Gajeena, head of Thailand’s Disease Control Department, the country has found traces of the disease since 1963 and had the first confirmed case in 2012. People should not be worried as the country has never had a Zika outbreak and all of the cases were one-offs, he said.

The health ministry has asked locals to help eliminate mosquitos, blamed for the transmission of Zika virus, around their homes and neighbourhood, while those travelling back from Zika-affected areas have been advised to report any suspected symptoms.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on February 1 declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of birth defects in Brazil.