DOH confirms 3 new Zika cases

MANILA, Philippines - Three more Zika cases have been recorded, bringing to 12 the total number of cases in the country this year.

The Zika case documented in Cebu City last week turned out to be a woman who has been pregnant for 19 weeks with her first child, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said in a press briefing yesterday.

Ubial noted that the 22-year-old confirmed case from Cebu City did not show “any fetal abnormalities” when subjected to ultrasound, particularly in her central nervous system.

The patient will be monitored regularly during the entire period of her pregnancy.

“In this particular case, we will have more frequent check-ups – every two weeks,” she said.

The health chief said that birth defects can happen at any stage of pregnancy, but the risk is higher in the first trimester.

The Zika virus is associated with microcephaly, a condition wherein the head of baby is smaller than usual.

Records of the Department of Health show that the three new Zika cases were all reported in September after tests were conducted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Two of the cases came from Iloilo City where seven other cases were registered earlier. Another case was also documented in the town of Oton, also in Iloilo.

“Of these 12 cases, eight were females ranging from nine to 55 years old. Ten of these cases were from Region VI (Western Visayas) and one each from Region VII (Central Visayas) and the National Capital Region. The previously reported case from Laguna (Calabarzon) was traced to Muntinlupa upon verification,” Ubial said.

Among the cases from Region VI, nine were from Iloilo City and one from Oton, just a few kilometers outside Iloilo City.

The cases did not have a history of travel to an affected country a month prior to the onset of their illness. All of the confirmed cases had skin rashes and any of the other symptoms: fever, muscle or joint pains and conjunctivitis without eye discharge, and have recovered from their mild illness.

All cases were advised to avoid mosquito bites by applying insect repellent over exposed areas at least a week after the onset of their illness.

Because of the spread of cases in Iloilo, the local government unit was prompted to conduct indoor residual spraying coupled with fogging to reduce the density of adult mosquitoes.

Ubial maintained that despite this development, the government is not yet recommending a travel restriction to Iloilo.

She underscored that the best strategy to combat not only Zika but dengue and chikungunya as well is by eliminating the breeding sites of mosquitoes.