6 more Zika cases recorded in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – Six more cases of Zika virus infection were documented in the country, bringing to nine the total number of cases recorded this year, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

In a press briefing, DOH spokesman Eric Tayag said in all cases, Zika virus was acquired through mosquito bites. Four of the six cases came from Iloilo City, where three other cases were recorded earlier. One case each was recorded in Cebu City and Laguna province.

Tayag said all Zika patients had no history of travel to other countries “within a month preceding onset of illness.”

All patients, with ages ranging from nine to 49 years old, had skin rashes, joint pains, fever or conjunctivitis. They are expected to have recovered by this time.

Tayag said despite the increase of Zika cases, there is still “no active transmission” of cases in the Philippines, particularly in Iloilo City. This means the DOH is able to establish how the patients got infected, in this case through mosquito bites.

He also said the four new cases in Iloilo City are more than 10 kilometers away from the three cases earlier recorded in the city. The DOH, however, is still determining if the four cases are related to each other.

Tayag and a quick response team were set to fly to Iloilo City last night to gather more information about the new cases and to support affected areas in the drive against Zika.

“We are expecting to see more cases because we are strengthening our surveillance system,” he said.

The DOH, through the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, will subject to testing over 1,000 pregnant women who manifest skin rashes. The agency is procuring 8,000 testing kits at P6,000 each or a total of P48 million. It is also distributing mosquito nets and insecticides among the local government units.

The DOH also reiterated its call for scaled-up implementation of the “4S Strategy” to effectively combat Zika, dengue and chikungunya diseases.

The 4S Strategy involves “searching and destroying mosquito breeding places; self-protection measures like use of insect repellent, mosquito bed nets and condom for protection against this sexually transmitted infection; seeking early consultation for skin rashes and fever, joint pain or red eyes; and saying “yes” to fogging when there is an impending outbreak.

World Health Organization country representative Gundo Weiler said the WHO is not surprised to see Zika cases in the Philippines.

“Here in the region, we now have 19 countries and territories affected, out of 37. Now that we see Zika in the Philippines and we could also detect more of it is not a surprise,” he explained.