Thailand confirms two cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, first in region

[webfact]

Thailand confirms two cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, first in region

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat | BANGKOK

 

BANGKOK: -- Thailand confirmed on Friday that the Zika virus had caused two cases of microcephaly, a condition that results in babies being born with small heads, the first time microcephaly had been linked to Zika in Southeast Asia.

 

"To summarise, we have found two cases of small heads linked to Zika, the first cases in Thailand," Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the Department of Disease Control, told reporters in Bangkok.

 

He declined to say where in Thailand the cases were found.

 

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-thailand-idUSKCN1200K9

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2016-09-30

[clockman]

Now the truth!

[fruitman]

My sister in law is pregnant, please tell us where it happened....she won't leave the house anymore now.

[jamesbrock]

2 minutes ago, fruitman said:

My sister in law is pregnant, please tell us where it happened....she won't leave the house anymore now.

 

It's pretty stupid that they won't tell people where, but I guess Zika has been found all over so it's best to cautious no matter where the microcephaly cases are.

 

I wonder if they're going to revisit the two cases they ruled out on Tuesday?

[fruitman]

49 minutes ago, jamesbrock said:

 

It's pretty stupid that they won't tell people where, but I guess Zika has been found all over so it's best to cautious no matter where the microcephaly cases are.

 

I wonder if they're going to revisit the two cases they ruled out on Tuesday?

 

I guess it's in a spot that tourists like to visit....

[tifino]

 

oh dear - it looks like they have finally unleashed the spray-affected mozzies into the wild

 

 

Monsanto will be proud of their achievement!

[tukkytuktuk]

[tifino]

 

"... what ares are affected..."

 

just type in the countries that have been sprayed...

[snoop1130]

Thailand’s first two confirmed cases of babies with abnormal heads from Zika virus

 

 

The Public Health Ministry on Friday announced Thailand’s first two confirmed cases of babies born with smaller than normal heads as a result of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

 

The Zika virus monitoring committee of the Diseases Control Department said that the two babies have hearing problem and experience muscle contraction and, therefore, are kept under close watch to follow up their developments.

 

The third case is awaiting result of a repeated test, said the committee, adding that there is another case of pregnancy of a mother infected with Zika virus which is closely being monitored to determine whether the baby will be born abnormal or not.

 

The committee warned pregnant women to take precautions to prevent themselves from being bitten by mosquitos by applying mosquito repellants all the time they are outdoor and also to make sure that the repellants will not be harmful to the unborn babies.

 

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailands-first-two-confirmed-cases-babies-abnormal-heads-zika-virus/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-30

[ukrules]

13 hours ago, tifino said:

 

oh dear - it looks like they have finally unleashed the spray-affected mozzies into the wild

 

 

I doubt it very much.

[Rorri]

14 hours ago, tifino said:

 

oh dear - it looks like they have finally unleashed the spray-affected mozzies into the wild

 

 

Monsanto will be proud of their achievement

Um, where is your proof, or are you a conspiracist.

http://fortune.com/2016/02/16/monsanto-zika-virus-conspiracy/

I acknowledge Monsanto has a lot to answer for, but on Zika, maybe not.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thailand confirms first Zika-related microcephaly cases

 

 

Thailand has reported its first confirmed cases of Zika-related birth defects.

 

The announcement of two cases of microcephaly, a defect marked by small head size, comes a day after the US warned pregnant women to postpone non-essential travel to Southeast Asian countries due to risk of the mosquito-born Zika virus.

 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the cases were the first of Zika-linked microcephaly in Southeast Asia, and that the virus represented a serious threat to pregnant women and their unborn children.

 

The link between microcephaly and Zika was first discovered last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than a thousand cases it believes are linked to the virus.

 

More than 300 cases of Zika have been confirmed in Thailand since January, including 33 pregnant women.

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-10-01

 

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thailand confirms SE Asia's first Zika-linked birth defects 
 

BANGKOK (AP) — Authorities in Thailand have confirmed that two cases of babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, were caused by the Zika virus, the first such cases found in Southeast Asia.

 

Dr. Prasert Thongcharoen, a senior Health Ministry official, said in a statement Friday that the linkage to Zika was confirmed by laboratory tests in two of three cases of babies afflicted with microcephaly. The results were inconclusive in the third case.

 

The World Health Organization urged countries in the region to take stronger measures to contain the virus. The U.N. agency said the cases are the first of Zika-associated microcephaly in Southeast Asia.

 

"Zika virus infection is a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. Countries across the region must continue to strengthen measures aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to

Zika virus transmission," WHO Southeast Asia regional director Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh said in a statement.

 

Zika generally causes a mild flu-like illness, but a major outbreak in Brazil last year revealed that it can result in severe birth defects when pregnant women are infected.

 

The disease is spread primarily by mosquitoes, and WHO urged private citizens as well as governments to take strict mosquito control measures.

 

Mosquitoes are a constant concern in Thailand because they also transmit malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya.

 

Statistics issued by Thai health officials show more than 300 confirmed Zika cases since the start of the year.

 

On Thursday, U.S. health officials advised pregnant women to postpone travel to 11 countries in Southeast Asia because of Zika outbreaks. The advisory covered Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Zika has existed in some areas of Southeast Asia for years, and some residents may be immune. But it said a number of U.S. travelers have become infected in the region in the last year.

 

WHO said travelers to areas with Zika virus outbreaks "should seek up-to-date advice on potential risks and appropriate measures to reduce the possibility of exposure to mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika." But it advised pregnant women "not to travel to areas of ongoing Zika virus transmission."

 

"Pregnant women's sexual partners living in or returning from areas with Zika virus outbreaks should ensure safer sex or abstain from sex for the duration of their partner's pregnancy," it said.

 

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-10-01

[neeray]

I have visited much countryside in Thailand. It always amazed me how much "standing" water I saw, a great breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

But of course, little is done to drain those breeding grounds. 

Welcome to LOS. 

[silent]

1 hour ago, neeray said:

I have visited much countryside in Thailand. It always amazed me how much "standing" water I saw, a great breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

But of course, little is done to drain those breeding grounds. 

Welcome to LOS. 

Give it another 10 years. The internet exponentially reduces time warps.

[Deepinthailand]

1 hour ago, neeray said:

I have visited much countryside in Thailand. It always amazed me how much "standing" water I saw, a great breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

But of course, little is done to drain those breeding grounds. 

Welcome to LOS. 

Drain away they will still breed mosquitoes will always find a breeding ground plus it would be imposible to drain all the breeding grounds what about the rice fields.

[Rorri]

1 hour ago, neeray said:

I have visited much countryside in Thailand. It always amazed me how much "standing" water I saw, a great breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

But of course, little is done to drain those breeding grounds. 

Welcome to LOS. 

Would you also have then drain the rice paddy?

https://ij-healthgeographics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-072X-9-32

[neeray]

3 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

Drain away they will still breed mosquitoes will always find a breeding ground plus it would be imposible to drain all the breeding grounds what about the rice fields.

So I guess you are saying there is no hope. No sense in trying to reduce at all. Just let the little suckers do their business. 

I don't think the WHO would agree with you. 

[neeray]

9 minutes ago, Rorri said:

Would you also have then drain the rice paddy?

https://ij-healthgeographics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-072X-9-32

Oh, okay. So just do nothing. Leave the standing water stand in your own yard. Take no measures to protect your family. 

[Rorri]

Just now, neeray said:

Oh, okay. So just do nothing. Leave the standing water stand in your own yard. Take no measures to protect your family. 

No, but I suggest there is far more standing water, in paddys, than anywhere else.You can spray around villages, but soon the mossies will be back, they fly you know. You need to take more "personal" protection, eg, insect screens, insect repellents, cover your body with loose fitting clothes, mosquito net over your bed, take care at sunset etc... 

[Deepinthailand]

32 minutes ago, neeray said:

So I guess you are saying there is no hope. No sense in trying to reduce at all. Just let the little suckers do their business. 

I don't think the WHO would agree with you. 

These little suckers as you call them have been around a lot longer than us mere humans they adapt a lot easier than humans do. There is very little chance of eradicating them. Draining a few fields will do nothing they will just move to the next. Farming still has to go on what the WHO need to do is find an antidote for the vulnerable. Not try to do the impossible. Is what I'm saying. Also let's not forget to the vast majority of people it's not a big deal if they get bitten flu like symptoms is all. I do feel sorry for the two babies reported here. But 2 out of how many hundred thousand babies born. Perspective is needed. And as I said an antidote for the vulnerable. 

Edited October 1, 2016 by Deepinthailand

[davidbond]

1 hour ago, Deepinthailand said:

Drain away they will still breed mosquitoes will always find a breeding ground plus it would be imposible to drain all the breeding grounds what about the rice fields.

the answer  easy   need

 more Frogs 

[cumgranosalum]

As  a causal connection has not been made or fully proved yet, a lot of this is jumping the gun.

 

The evidence is still in the realms of association or correlation.

 

THw divce to be cautious is probably good but statements like the headlines above "Thailand have confirmed that two cases of babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, were caused by the Zika virus," -  are not helpful as they may well turn out to be incorrect.

 

 

 

[cumgranosalum]

1 hour ago, Deepinthailand said:

These little suckers as you call them have been around a lot longer than us mere humans they adapt a lot easier than humans do. There is very little chance of eradicating them. Draining a few fields will do nothing they will just move to the next. Farming still has to go on what the WHO need to do is find an antidote for the vulnerable. Not try to do the impossible. Is what I'm saying. Also let's not forget to the vast majority of people it's not a big deal if they get bitten flu like symptoms is all. I do feel sorry for the two babies reported here. But 2 out of how many hundred thousand babies born. Perspective is needed. And as I said an antidote for the vulnerable. 

"These little suckers as you call them have been around a lot longer than us mere humans they adapt a lot easier than humans do." - this all depends on what species you are referring to. The aedes mozzie is either particularly suited to or has evolved to live with humans - and thus has thrived - if one can break that connection, one has made a breakthrough. you can eradicate a bio-mass as large as mosquitoes without seriously affecting the environment, but you can affect some species of mosquitoes kind of mosquitoes or their behaviour or their success in breeding

[Deepinthailand]

24 minutes ago, cumgranosalum said:

"These little suckers as you call them have been around a lot longer than us mere humans they adapt a lot easier than humans do." - this all depends on what species you are referring to. The aedes mozzie is either particularly suited to or has evolved to live with humans - and thus has thrived - if one can break that connection, one has made a breakthrough. you can eradicate a bio-mass as large as mosquitoes without seriously affecting the environment, but you can affect some species of mosquitoes kind of mosquitoes or their behaviour or their success in breeding

If you say so I'm no expert on species of mozzies. But I very much doubt any species of mozzies can or will be eradicated on mass. Perspective is called for. White sharks kill a fair few people every year. But do we go all out to eradicate them!!! I get bitten a few times by mozzies but that's my fault not there's. 

[cumgranosalum]

48 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

If you say so I'm no expert on species of mozzies. But I very much doubt any species of mozzies can or will be eradicated on mass. Perspective is called for. White sharks kill a fair few people every year. But do we go all out to eradicate them!!! I get bitten a few times by mozzies but that's my fault not there's. 

There was a typo - "you can eradicate a bio-mass as large as mosquitoes without seriously affecting the environment,"

Should have read "CAN"T"

 

but you can target particular species in many different ways  to reduce their effectiveness as a vector.

 

there is also the possibility of a vaccine with Zika as may be easier to develop than a Dengue vaccine.

 

[Deepinthailand]

5 minutes ago, cumgranosalum said:

There was a typo - "you can eradicate a bio-mass as large as mosquitoes without seriously affecting the environment,"

Should have read "CAN"T"

 

but you can target particular species in many different ways  to reduce their effectiveness as a vector.

 

there is also the possibility of a vaccine with Zika as may be easier to develop than a Dengue vaccine.

 

Which is what u said in the first place the vaccine that is. And I still seriously doubt how a whole species can be eradicated as mobile as they are.

[cumgranosalum]

10 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

Which is what u said in the first place the vaccine that is. And I still seriously doubt how a whole species can be eradicated as mobile as they are.

 

10 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

Which is what u said in the first place the vaccine that is. And I still seriously doubt how a whole species can be eradicated as mobile as they are.

I certainly didn't intend to say a whole species can be eradicated - where do I say that?

[swerver]

3 hours ago, Deepinthailand said:

If you say so I'm no expert on species of mozzies. But I very much doubt any species of mozzies can or will be eradicated on mass. Perspective is called for. White sharks kill a fair few people every year. But do we go all out to eradicate them!!! I get bitten a few times by mozzies but that's my fault not there's. 

 

White sharks kill a fair few people every year. But do we go all out to eradicate them!!!

 

Yes the human animal does with their shark fin soup cutting off the fins and throwing the then incapacitated shark back in the ocean. And the six-pack Joe Blow coach potatoe of the world call these people  HUMAN. 

[Deepinthailand]

18 minutes ago, swerver said:

 

White sharks kill a fair few people every year. But do we go all out to eradicate them!!!

 

Yes the human animal does with their shark fin soup cutting off the fins and throwing the then incapacitated shark back in the ocean. And the six-pack Joe Blow coach potatoe of the world call these people  HUMAN. 

It was a comparison that's all not a save the shark post