Despite a rapid increase in the number of Zika-infected patients reported earlier this month in Thailand, the public have been left in the dark about the virus.
First, because the Ministry of Public Health keeps downplaying public fear of the outbreak despite 23 new cases -- including that of a pregnant woman -- reported countrywide since last week, 15 of them in Bangkok's Sathon district. Reuters recently reported that Thailand has recorded about 200 Zika cases since January, making it a country with one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in the region.
Second, because people are not aware of what the virus is and whether or not the speedy spread of the disease should be a cause for concern.
After the virus wrecked havoc in many South American countries, especially Brazil, it spread to Asia, with Singapore reporting more than 330 confirmed cases, eight of them in pregnant women. On Sept 7, Malaysia reported its first case of Zika in a pregnant woman, a 27-year-old ethnic Chinese about four months pregnant with her first child.
According to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), 70 countries and territories have reported evidence of vector-borne Zika transmission since last year. This year, four countries have been classified as having possible endemic transmissions or have reported evidence of local vector-borne Zika infections. In the meantime, the WHO still stresses that the outbreak of Zika remains an international health emergency and that the virus is expected to continue spreading to new countries.
Should we Thais live in fear or stay calm now that the virus has reached our shores? Life clarifies some of the most common doubts about the Zika outbreak.
The Zika virus has been in Thailand since 1960. Why hasn't it received much attention?
It is true that the Zika virus has existed in the country since 1960, but according to infectious-medicine specialist Dr Samornrod Limmahakhun, it is merely a sporadic infection, meaning it only occurs infrequently and irregularly. This is one of the reasons the infection failed to come under the public-health spotlight -- until recently.
"Zika symptoms are usually mild and include a low fever at around 38°C, red eyes, muscle and joint pain and non-itchy rashes," explained the specialist. "These symptoms can go away within seven days. And patients would only require treatments based on their symptoms, such as taking painkillers, fever-relief medication and so forth. They do not even need antibiotics. And the death rate is extremely low, especially when compared to dengue haemorrhagic fever. This is also why the disease is underreported and under-investigated."
The Zika epidemic started off in South America, particularly in Brazil, and found its way to Asia. Is it going to spread to other countries fast?
Zika, a member of the flavivirus species -- which also includes the dengue virus, yellow fever virus and West Nile virus -- spreads in equatorial countries, which are Africa, South America and of course, Asia. These tropical countries are abound with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main vector of the Zika virus.
"The Zika virus is not transmitted from person to person but has Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as a carrier, allowing the virus to spread fast," added Dr Samornrod. "Also, transportation of today allows the infected to travel across the globe very conveniently. If, for example, Zika-infected patients from Brazil fly to Asia, the virus can then spread very fast with the help of mosquitoes. And here in all tropical Asian countries -- including Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand -- there are lots and lots of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Chances that the virus will hit the population of these countries are, without a doubt, quite high."
According to the WHO, Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania.
From 1960s to 1980s, human infections were found across Africa and Asia, typically accompanied by a mild illness.
Is there any other way of transmission besides Aedes aegypti mosquitoes?
The Zika virus can survive in blood, semen, breast milk and the vagina. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Zika can be passed through sex from a person who carries the virus to his or her sex partners.
Zika-infected patients are advised to have protected sex or avoid having sex in the period of six months after contracting the disease. Patients should not donate blood for a month after being infected. People who return from Zika-affected countries should also consider avoiding blood donation for a month, too.
The WHO, however, does not say anything against breastfeeding among mothers who are infected with Zika. Its recommendation suggests that "infants born to mothers with suspected, probable or confirmed Zika virus infection, or who reside in or have travelled to areas of ongoing Zika virus transmission, should be fed according to normal infant feeding guidelines".
A Sathon-district office sprays pesticides on mosquito breeding grounds at Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep, as a preventive protocol against the Zika virus. Patipat Janthong
Who should be careful of contracting the virus besides pregnant women?
There is scientific consensus that the Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly -- a condition where a baby is born with a small head or the head stops growing after birth. This definitely affects the baby's brain development, including intellectual quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ).
"Women who are pregnant, particularly within the first and second trimester, should take extra precaution, because this is the period where the brain of the foetus mostly develops and the virus reportedly likes to destroy the developing brain," said Dr Samornrod. "Such an abnormality in the foetus can be detected by ultrasound scanning but, when found, cannot be cured. Nonetheless, not all pregnant women who are infected with the virus will give birth to babies with microcephaly."
As a result, expecting mothers should not travel to Zika-affected countries, the doctor added.
According to the WHO, more than 1.5 million people have been infected with Zika and more than 1,600 babies have been born with abnormally small heads and brains since last year.
"As for normal people, there is nothing to worry about because symptoms are usually mild," she added. "The Ministry of Public Health is doing the right thing in telling people not to be overly on edge."
Is a vaccine against Zika available?
The vaccine against Zika, according to Dr Samornrod, is in its first phase of development, which means it would take several years for it to become available for use in humans.
What is the best preventive approach, both on a personal and a national scale?
Avoiding mosquito bites is the best way against getting infected. Households should also get rid of mosquito larvae and stagnant water where mosquitoes are likely to lay eggs. Lemongrass mosquito repellent can be sprayed every two hours to drive mosquitoes away. Dr Samornrod said that mosquitoes that carry Zika are daytime mosquitoes.
"While the authority has spraying campaigns using pesticides to kill both adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae, taking precaution on a household scale is the best way to go."
