Thailand finds 21 new cases of Zika in Bangkok, including pregnant woman

[Gert van der Hoek]

Sun Sep 11, 2016

Twenty-one new cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus have been confirmed in central Bangkok, including a pregnant woman who later gave birth with no complications, Thailand's public health ministry said on Sunday.

Residents in the Thai capital were urged not to be alarmed after the cases were confirmed in the Sathorn area of the city, an up-market neighborhood popular with the city's expatriate community and part of the capital's business district.

"Of the 21 cases confirmed in the Sathorn area there was one pregnant woman who recovered and gave birth successfully," Ministry of Public Health spokesman Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters by telephone.

"Mother and newborn are safe," he said, adding that the pregnant woman's husband had recently returned from Singapore.

Thailand first recorded the Zika virus in 2012 and the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority conducts regular testing for the virus.

Sixteen out of Thailand's 76 provinces have confirmed cases of Zika since January this year, according to the health ministry, but no birth defects or deaths have been reported.

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[Pathfinder]

Ministry downplays Zika fears, says no need to panic

12 Sep 2016 at 04:30
NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: POST REPORTERS
...
Opart Karnkawinpong, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, insisted Sunday the mosquito-borne Zika virus has become widespread since the infection was first recorded in Thailand in 2012. He asked the public not to panic as Zika was not deadly or severely contagious.

Dr Opart's comment came after 22 new cases of Zika, including a pregnant woman, were reported in Sathon district this week.
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Dr Opart said all pregnant women and their unborn babies were being closely monitored by medical teams and public health officials. Of them, six have given birth to healthy babies.
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Also on Sunday, public health permanent secretary Sophon Mekthon claimed Zika was not a new disease, despite recent publicity, as it is found in Thailand and other Asean countries. He said no Zika fatalities have been recorded...
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In Nakhon Ratchasima, Dr Teerawat Valaisathein, director of the Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Office 9, said Zika infections have been found in seven provinces including Bangkok recently.
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http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1083836/ministry-downplays-zika-fears-says-no-need-to-panic