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Four Thailand Microcephaly Cases Under Zika Investigation

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niman Grand Master

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BANGKOK: Thailand is investigating four suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly in three babies and a 36-week old unborn baby, the public health minister said on Tuesday (Sep 27), in what could be the first cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Southeast Asia.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/thailand-investigates-four-cases-of-suspected-zika-linked/3159820.html

niman Grand Master

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Thailand investigates four cases of suspected Zika-linked microcephaly

  • Posted 27 Sep 2016 16:38
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  • Updated 27 Sep 2016 16:45
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Microcephaly is a rare neurological disorder that causes a baby's head to be smaller than normal and prevents its brain from fully developing. (Photo: AFP/Christophe Simon)
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BANGKOK: Thailand is investigating four suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly in three babies and a 36-week old unborn baby, the public health minister said on Tuesday (Sep 27), in what could be the first cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Southeast Asia.

Several countries in Southeast Asia have reported increasing cases of infection from the mosquito-borne Zika virus but Thailand has one of the highest numbers in the region, with 349 confirmed since January, including 25 pregnant women.

Public Health Minister Piyasakon Sakolsatayadorn said authorities needed to be thorough in their investigation of the cases as confirmation would be "sensitive".

"The lab results will take at least two days because we have to be thorough with this as it is a big deal and a link hasn't been detected before," Piyasakon told Reuters.

"This is a sensitive matter for Thailand," he said.

U.S. 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.

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.

If a Thai case were confirmed, it would be the first in Southeast Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

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.

MONITORING

Some health experts have accused Thailand, which has a thriving tourist industry, of playing down the risk from Zika.

But officials dismiss that saying the response has been adequate and another mosquito-born disease, dengue, which can be deadly, is a bigger threat.

The director-general of Thailand's Disease Control Department, Amnuay Gajeena, said the four cases were being monitored but he declined to say exactly where they were suspected of contracting the virus.

"It is not in Bangkok," Amnuay told Reuters. "Both the mothers and babies are being tested and we have sent the tests to several labs."

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.

The World Health Organization lists Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam as countries reporting new cases of Zika.

Singapore has recorded 393 cases since diagnosing its first in August. It has confirmed 16 pregnant women with the virus.

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, 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 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.

(Additional reporting by Cod Satrusayang and Panarat Thepgumpanat in BANGKOK, Marius Zaharia in SINGAPORE; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Robert Birsel)

- Reuters

niman Grand Master

niman

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Four suspected Zika microcephaly cases in Thailand

Filed Under: 
Zika
Stephanie Soucheray | News Reporter | CIDRAP News
  | 
Sep 26, 2016

Yesterday Thailand said authorities are investigating four microcephaly cases, while the Philippines and Singapore today reported more cases of Zika virus. Florida, meanwhile, is seeing more locally acquired cases, as well.

Zika-linked microcephaly in 3 infants, 1 fetus

The Bangkok Post reported that Thailand's Department of Disease Control is investigating three babies born with smaller-than-average heads. Another woman, who is 36 weeks pregnant, has a fetus with an abnormally small head detected on ultrasound. She is 1 of 33 pregnant women in the country's "Zika watch areas" under surveillance for any birth defects linked to the mosquito-borne disease.

Amnuay Gajeena, MD, director-general of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, said Zika is not endemic in the country, and that three to four cases of microcephaly are consistent with the 1% to 30% incidence of Zika-related microcephaly seen in other countries.

Elsewhere, the Philippines now has 12 confirmed cases of Zika virus, after 3 new cases were identified by the Department of Health (DOH) over the weekend. Eight of the 12 are ininvolve women, and 1 of the cases involves a 22-year-old from Cebu who is 19 weeks pregnant.

And Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) announced today there were 393 cases of Zika in the city-state. The pace of transmission is slowing down after hundreds of cases were reported at the beginning of the month; only 13 cases have been detected since Sep 18.

More locally transmitted cases in Florida

On the other side of the world, Florida Health, Florida's health department, announced 10 more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus today. Three of the cases date back to July, when active transmission was occurring in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami and do not represent new areas of transmission.

The other seven cases are in Palm Beach (1), Miami Beach (1), and Miami-Dade County (5). Florida Health said officials are still investigating where the disease was transmitted in Miami-Dade County, and the department is continuing door-to-door outreach in that county, as well as in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties.

There are now 105 non-travel–related Zika cases in Florida and 689 travel-related cases. Pregnant women in the state and travelers are still advised to avoid unnecessary travel to the Miami Beach area, where Zika virus is still being actively transmitted.

Sanofi gets $43 million for vaccine development

Finally today, Reuters reports that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $43 million in Zika vaccine development funds to Sanofi Pasteur, the French drug maker that also manufactures the yellow fever and dengue vaccine. The money is meant to speed the vaccine development process, which could see mid-level trials as soon as 2018.

According to Reuters, the contract runs through June 2022, but if the data are positive, it can be extended for up to an additional $130.45 million for late-stage trials.

The money comes from HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

See also:

Sep 25 Bangkok Post story

Sep 26 Philippines DOH update

Sep 26 Singapore NEA update

Sep 26 Florida Health update

Sep 26 Reuters story

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2016/09/four-suspected-zika-microcephaly-cases-thailand

niman Grand Master

niman

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Wed Sep 28, 2016 | 1:36am EDT

Thailand rules out Zika link in two microcephaly cases; investigating two

 
 
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Thailand ruled out on Wednesday Zika as the cause of two cases of microcephaly but is investigating two other cases that could be the first linked to Zika in Southeast Asia of the condition that results in babies being born with small heads.

Microcephaly is a rare birth defect that has been linked, in Brazil in particular, to the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is spreading in Southeast Asia.

Thai health authorities said on Tuesday they were investigating four suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly in three babies and a 36-week old unborn baby.

But on Wednesday, Apichai Mongkol, director-general of the ministry's Department of Medical Sciences, said Zika had been ruled out as the cause in two of the cases.

"The test results showed that two did not have the Zika virus but it is still unclear with the other two because we found three flavivirus which means it could be dengue, Zika or meningitis," Apichai told Reuters.

"To be sure which of the three they contracted we need to investigate further."

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 World Health Organization (WHO).

It was not clear which of the four cases had been ruled out as having a link to Zika.

Zika has been linked to more than 1,800 confirmed cases of microcephaly in Brazil but there have been no confirmed cases of Zika causing the condition in Southeast Asia, according to the WHO.

Microcephaly has several potential causes including various infections, exposure to toxins and malnutrition, the WHO says.

Health authorities in Southeast Asia have reported a rising number of Zika cases with Thailand confirming 349 since January, including 33 pregnant women. Singapore has recorded 393, including 16 pregnant women.

The Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam have also reported Zika cases.

Thailand's public health ministry said earlier the four suspected microcephaly cases were not in Bangkok but it declined to say where they were found.

ALSO IN HEALTH NEWS

The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority said on Wednesday officials had confirmed 26 Zika cases in the city this month.

The director-general of the Disease Control Department, Amnuay Gajeena, said out of 33 cases of pregnant women with Zika, eight had given birth without complications.

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.

Zika was first identified in Uganda in 1947 and was first isolated in Asia in the 1960s. It was unknown in the Americas until 2014.

 

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpant; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing Robert Birsel)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-thailand-idUSKCN11Y0FE

niman Grand Master

niman

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Thailand reports two cases of Zika birth defects
01:58
 
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By Aukkarapon Niyomyat | BANGKOK

Thailand reported on Friday the first confirmed cases in Southeast Asia of microcephaly linked to mosquito-borne Zika, as the World Health Organization urged action against the virus across the region.

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.

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A city worker fumigates the area to control the spread of mosquitoes at a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, September 14, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
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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.

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.

ALSO IN HEALTH NEWS

"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)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-thailand-idUSKCN1200K9

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