Ministry confirms 2 babies Zika-infected

The Public Health Ministry has confirmed that two babies born in Thailand with abnormally small heads were infected with the Zika virus.

The ministry said these were the first recorded cases of babies being infected by the virus in Thailand and diagnosed with Zika-linked microcephaly.

They did not reveal exactly where the babies were born.

One of them tested positive for the mosquito-born virus after a lymph check, though the baby’s mother showed no sign of any Zika-related symptoms, Disease Control Department adviser Prasert Thongcharoen said yesterday.

Another tested positive with a urine check, he said, adding the examination found the baby’s mother had contracted the disease and had a rash.

A third baby has been diagnosed with microcephaly, but a medical examination is under way to determine whether the infant’s condition was caused by Zika, Dr Prasert said.

He said microcephaly can also be caused by other diseases, such as syphilis, German measles and herpes as well as toxic chemicals and heredity.

A pregnant woman has tested positive for Zika, but she developed no symptoms, he said. It is not known whether the foetus will develop microcephaly and monitoring is ongoing.

Dr Prasert said no checks were made before for the virus in babies who have microcephaly in the country.

Due to this discovery, the Public Health Ministry will be asked to maintain strict monitoring of pregnant women found to have contracted Zika, he said.

In virus-infected zones, additional measures must be imposed to cope with pregnant women who live there, while attention must be paid to babies who have microcephaly and examinations carried out to determine whether they have been infected with the virus.

He said a panel should be formed to map out guidelines dealing with pregnant women suspected of having contracted Zika.

Meanwhile, federal health officials in New York advised pregnant women to “consider postponing nonessential” travel to 11 countries in South and Southeast Asia.

The warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was not as urgent as those issued in January, which advised pregnant women to avoid Latin American and Caribbean countries overwhelmed by the Zika epidemic.

The countries cited in the new advisory by the CDC include Brunei, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The CDC has warned pregnant women since Aug 30 to avoid Singapore because of a fast-growing outbreak there.