Local Zika Case In Iloilo Philippines

[niman]

 

Mon Sep 5, 2016 5:39pm IST

Philippines confirms first case of Zika virus this year: ministry

 

A member of a pest control team shows a container of mosquito larvae that they collected during their inspections at Zika clusters in Singapore September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su

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The Philippines confirmed on Monday its first case of the Zika virus this year and said it was "highly likely" it had been locally transmitted, and it expected more cases after stepping up surveillance.

A 45-year old woman who lives in Iloilo city in the central Philippines has the virus, Dr Eric Tayag, spokesman at the health ministry, told a media briefing.

The woman is not pregnant, he said, and was recovering at her home. It was considered "highly likely" she had contracted the virus locally as she had no history of travel to any affected country in the past two weeks, Tayag said.

The Philippines reported its first case of Zika in 2012, that of a teenaged boy in Cebu island in the central Philippines. Four subsequent cases were foreigners.

A Zika outbreak is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit, but cases have been cropping up in Asia.

Singapore has reported more than 240 Zika cases since the first locally infected case was detected on Aug. 27 and neighboring Malaysia has reported one such case.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized - as well as other brain abnormalities.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.

n adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.

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.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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Edited September 5, 2016 by niman

[niman]

DOH confirms 6th case of Zika infection in PHL

 

Published September 5, 2016 4:03pm

Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo confirmed on Monday that a Filipino from Iloilo has been infected with Zika virus, the sixth case in the Philippines.

Bayugo said in a press conference that the Filipina was examined abroad and came to the Philippines already positive with Zika.

"[She was] examined abroad and turned out positive for Zika," he said.

Bayugo, meanwhile, clarified that there is no outbreak of the virus in the country.

"The Zika events that we have are sporadic. These are not considered outbreak," he said.

"Our people in the region (6) are competent (to handle the case)," he added.

In a recent press conference, DOH Secretary Dr. Paulyn Rosell-Ubial maintained that the Philippines has yet to record its first locally-transmitted Zika case.

Ubial had clarified that all Zika cases in the Philippines, recorded from 2012, are not locally-transmitted and the victims got the virus overseas.

"Yun pong na-record na five cases before are what we call imported. Ibig sabihin, nakuha nila yung infection sa ibang bansa at nag-punta sila dito sa Pilipinas," she said.

The announcement came after Singapore and Malaysia report their first cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus infections. —Bianca Rose Dabu/ALG, GMA News

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[niman]

Woman from Iloilo positive for Zika virus

September 5, 2016 | Filed under: Slider,Top Stories | Posted by: Reymar Latoza

A woman from Iloilo tested positive for the Zika virus, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Monday, September 5.

A woman from Iloilo tested positive for the Zika virus, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Monday, September 5.

She is the 6^th Zika victim in the Philippines, according to DOH Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo.

The DOH refused to divulge her identity.

DOH Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Russel-Ubial, in a press release, said “the case was most likely due to local transmission since [the patient has] no history of travel to any affected country in the past two weeks.”

“On August 31, she presented with skin rash and joint pains not accompanied by fever. She was confined in a local hospital where urine and blood were collected. She was subsequently discharged the following day. She tested positive for both specimens,” Ubial explained.

“Currently, she is at home recovering from her mild illness. The tests were done at RITM. The DOH expects additional cases after intensifying its surveillance efforts,” she added.

Zika, like dengue fever and chikungunya, is transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the DOH said.

It can also be transmitted through sexual contact.

Symptoms of Zika include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, headache and malaise.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “there is no specific treatment or vaccine for Zika.

“People sick with Zika virus should get plenty of rest, drink a lot of fluids and treat pain and fever with common medicines.”

Ubial said, “The key to Zika prevention is heightened vigilance and stronger community efforts of every household.”IMT

http://www.iloilometropolitantimes.com/woman-from-iloilo-positive-for-zika-virus/