The Health Ministry on Tuesday (Sept 13) reported two more cases of locally transmitted Zika infections in the central Philippine city of Iloilo, 600km south of the capital Manila.

Health Minister Paulyn Ubial said the mosquito-borne virus was found in two people living in the same house as the 45-year-old woman who tested positive for Zika on Sept 5. The woman, who is married but not pregnant, was the first confirmed case of locally transmitted Zika in the Philippines this year.

The Philippines have reported four other cases since January, but these involved an American and three Korean travellers. The cases were considered travel-related rather than locally transmitted.

The two new cases in Iloilo bring to eight the total number of Zika infections reported in the country since 2012.

A confirmed case of locally transmitted Zika in the Philippines was reported in May 2012, involving a 15-year-old male in Cebu city, 572km south of Manila.

All three patients in Iloilo have since recovered, but they remain under home quarantine, Dr Ubial said.

The ministry had sent a team to Iloilo to check for more Zika cases there.

Dr Ubial said 88 houses were inspected, and 12 people who had skin rashes and fever were tested for the virus.

The United States-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier in a bulletin that a strain of the mosquito-borne virus might have been introduced in the Philippines before 2012, and that it probably remained undetected.

Zika resembles a mild case of flu and its symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter medication.

Patients infected with Zika seldom go to clinics, and doctors often associate symptoms with other illnesses, usually dengue or chikungunya.

CDC bulletins showed Zika infections in the Philippines and Indonesia were detected only after targeted surveillance following outbreaks of dengue or chikungunya, or during long-term studies over specific areas.</s>BANGKOK, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Thailand has recorded about 200 cases of Zika since January, the health ministry said on Tuesday, making it a country with one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in the region.

It was the first time Thailand's health ministry has confirmed the number of Zika cases this year.

The announcement comes a day after health experts called on Thailand to be more transparent in reporting the Zika threat to the public after health officials played down risks from rising infections of the mosquito-borne virus.

Health officials have expressed concern that disclosing information on Zika, which is linked to serious birth defects, would damage Thailand's lucrative tourism industry.

"Since January, we have recorded about 200 cases and over the past three weeks, we have confirmed an average of 20 new cases per week," Ministry of Public Health spokesman Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters.

"The number of cases is stable," he said, without giving further details.

Island city-state Singapore reported its first locally infected Zika patient on Aug. 27 and since then, the number of reported infections has soared to more than 300.

Malaysia and the Philippines have also reported cases.

The virus, which is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, has been circulating in Asia for years.

The lineage of the virus circulating in Asia is different to the one in the Americas, researchers say. The level of population immunity to the lineage of Zika in Asia remains unknown, according to the World Health Organization.

Suwannachai urged the public not to panic and reiterated a message aimed at reassuring tourists.

"People shouldn't be scared to visit provinces affected by the Zika virus," Suwannachai said.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized - as well as other brain abnormalities.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.

Thailand has found no cases of microcephaly linked to Zika and it is monitoring about two dozen pregnant woman and about six who have given birth with no complications, the health ministry said.

In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.

The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.</s>A number of Zika virus cases have been confirmed in Northern Ireland since the World Health Organisation declared an outbreak in 2015.

A spokeswoman for the UK’s Public Health Agency (PHA) told The Irish Times that all those infected had a history of travel outside Northern Ireland.

However, she could not confirm a BBC report on Wednesday which suggested a person was diagnosed with Zika in the past week.

When asked if a person has been treated recently and if it was linked to travelling to the Olympic Games in Brazil, the spokeswoman said she could not provide a response as the organisation “does not talk about individual cases”.

A statement from the PHA said: “Zika does not occur naturally in the UK. “However, since 2015, the Public Health Agency (PHA) can confirm that there have been less than five cases of Northern Ireland residents diagnosed with Zika virus.

“All have a history of travel to Zika-affected areas.”

There have been 117 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the UK since the outbreak last year.

According to the UK’s National Health Service, most cases of Zika virus disease are spread by infected mosquitoes biting humans.

There have been a small number of reports of Zika virus being passed on through sexual intercourse, although the risk is thought to be low.

Rory McIlroy, who is from Co Down, was among a number of golfers who decided not to take part in the Rio Olympics over the summer because of the risk posed by Zika.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.

In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes.

In Brazil thousands of babies have been born with suspected microcephaly or abnormally small heads since the outbreak was declared.

An estimated 80 per cent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.</s>Up to four people have been treated for the Zika virus in Northern Ireland.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) confirmed to the BBC that fewer than five patients were infected with Zika, with one being treated last week.

The virus is spread by bites from the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species of mosquito, but it can also spread through sexual intercourse. It is not clear where the cases in Northern Ireland originated.

The World Health Organisation has described the Zika virus as a global health emergency. The mosquitoes carrying the virus are common in South America, Africa and Asia. Zika is linked to thousands of babies born with underdeveloped brains. There have been 117 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the UK over the past 12 months.

A PHA spokesperson said there was no specific treatment for Zika, other than hydrating patients with the symptoms.

The agency said it was not its policy to give out the exact number of diagnosed Zika cases, because the figure was fewer than five and doing so could identify those affected.</s>Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial has ordered more intensive mosquito control campaigns over reports of two more Zika virus cases in Iloilo City.

According to the reports from the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health (DOH), the two female patients who live in the same house were positive for the Zika virus based on results of tests done at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City (Metro Manila).

The patients showed mild skin rashes but no other symptoms unlike the first confirmed case of another pregnant woman who suffered from skin rashes, joint pains and red eyes.

All three patients, none of whom is pregnant, have since recovered, did not require hospitalization and were told to stay at home.

They refused to give their names for security reasons.

Their cases will be monitored for one month to enable the DOH to determine the extent of local transmission of the Zika virus in the country.

About 88 households around and near the residences of the three patients have been visited by local DOH personnel.

According to Ubial, most of the water containers found by the personnel were found to be mosquito breeding sites and tested positive for larvae/pupae of Aedis aegypti, the principal mosquito vector for the Zika virus.

The Health secretary has urged all local government units to implement intensive mosquito control campaigns to stop the spread of the virus.

Individuals suffering from rashes, joint pains and red eyes, Ubial said, must visit the nearest health facility to confirm if they have contracted the Zika virus.

Pregnant women and those who have potential to be pregnant are advised to see their doctors for any illness that develops around and during pregnancy.

The Zika virus causes deformed births characterized by unusually small heads.

Ubial reminded everyone to go back to the basics, participate in community clean-ups and make 4S a regular habit.

4S means Search and destroy mosquito breeding places, Self-protection measures, Seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days and Say No to indiscriminate fogging.</s>SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore said Tuesday it is investigating the severity of its locally transmitted Zika virus, amid a rising number of cases.

Researchers concluded last week that the strain of Zika found in two patients in Singapore was not from South America, but was similar to those found in the region decades ago.

“We cannot tell at this moment whether the viruses found here cause more or less severe disease than those in South America. Further research will be needed to shed light on this,” Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told Parliament.

Singapore announced its first confirmed Zika infection in May, with the virus imported by a 48-year-old man who had traveled to Brazil.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency confirmed four more locally transmitted cases, bringing the total to 333, including eight pregnant women.

“It is still early days to ascertain what the long-term trend of Zika infection will be,” Gan said, stopping short of labeling the outbreak an epidemic.

“Even if we can control the present outbreak, we will need to continue to guard against imported cases as the Zika virus is still circulating among many countries, including several in this region,” he said.

Last week, Gan told Channel NewsAsia that Singapore will no longer isolate all Zika patients, except when the infection is “severe or unless they have other conditions that require medical attention.”

The mosquito-borne Zika virus has mild effects on most people, but can be fatal for unborn children. Infection during pregnancy is believed to result in babies with small heads — a condition called microcephaly — and other brain defects.

Every day, about 850 workers in Singapore inspect homes and worksites for possible mosquito breeding grounds. From January to July, 748,000 inspections were conducted and more than 10,000 breeding habitats were destroyed, according to official statistics.

Despite government efforts, the island nation has been included in several travel advisories because of the Zika cases, with experts fearing this will cause a dip in tourism revenue.</s>Four new local cases of Zika virus has been reported in Cayman, bringing the total number of locally transmitted cases to nine, according to public health officials.

Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez said in a press release that of 14 new test results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency, known as CARPHA, five returned positive.

“Four females, all local residents of George Town, have no reported travel history to any of the countries where there is currently an outbreak of the Zika virus, thus bringing local transmission of the Zika virus within the Cayman Islands to nine cases,” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said.

The fifth positive result involved a woman from George Town who had traveled to a country between July 27 and Aug. 1 where there is an established outbreak of the Zika virus. Her case brings the total number of imported cases to seven. “None of the five patients are related and neither are they pregnant,” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said.

For advice on mosquito control, contact the Mosquito Research and Control Unit on 949-2557. For information on Zika, contact the Public Health Department at 244-2648 or 244-2621.</s>Singapore did not report any new cases of Zika virus on Tuesday, according to data published on National Environment Agency website.

Island city-state Singapore reported its first locally infected Zika patient on Aug. 27 and since then, the number of reported infections has risen to 333.

While most people experience mild symptoms, Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized. In adults, it can cause a rare neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre.</s>As Congress debates emergency Zika funding for the third time this year, new findings from a Utah case suggest that the virus may spread through contact with bodily fluids.

Until now, scientists have said that Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. It can also be spread through sex as well as blood transfusions, and a pregnant woman can pass the virus to her fetus.

But information released Tuesday by federal and state health officials suggest that contact with bodily fluids, such as tears, discharge from infected eyes, saliva, stomach contents, urine or stool could have been how a Utah man became infected after caring for his elderly father. The father died in June after contracting Zika from travel abroad. The father's blood had a level of infectious virus 100,000 times as high as the average level reported in people infected with Zika, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials are recommending that family contacts and close friends caring for Zika patients who are very sick avoid contact with the patient's bodily fluids and use good hand hygiene, said Angela Dunn, deputy state epidemiologist in Utah. Health care workers are urged to continue to apply standard precautions while caring for all patients, including those who might have Zika virus disease. Such measures include wearing gloves, masks and other personal protective equipment.

People may often be lulled into a false sense of security about the way Zika spreads, thinking it may just be through mosquitoes or sex.

Although city, state and federal officials cannot say definitively how the son became sick, the Utah case suggests that the way the virus was transmitted "doesn't appear to be one of the modes we've seen before," said Alexander Kallen, a CDC medical officer.

"It does raise the possibility that there was potential exposure to the blood and bodily fluids of the index patient, and that could have led to transmission of the second case," Kallen said.

Earlier this summer, the Food and Drug Administration asked blood centers in two Florida counties to immediately stop collection because of possible local transmission of the Zika virus.

As part of the investigation in Utah, health officials interviewed and tested 18 other family members, and none were positive for the virus.

Most people who get Zika infections don't show symptoms or have mild illnesses. But in some cases when patients are very sick, "they often have a lot of diarrhea" and the virus could have spread through that exposure, Dunn said.</s>Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez, has made public the latest information on the transmission of the Zika virus within the Cayman Islands.

“Since the last update of Thursday, 25 August 2016, 14 additional results have been received from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA); five of which returned positive,” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez said. “Four females, all local residents of George Town, have no reported travel history to any of the countries where there is currently an outbreak of the Zika virus, thus bringing local transmission of the Zika virus within the Cayman Islands to nine cases.

“Additionally, there is one confirmed imported case, a female from George Town who travelled to a country during 27 July to 1 August where there is an established outbreak of the Zika virus. She reported an onset of symptoms which began on 11 August when she visited the Cayman Islands Hospital. The total number of laboratory diagnosed imported cases is therefore now at seven. None of the five patients are related and neither are they pregnant.”

On the international scene, the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its interim guidance on the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika. For regions with active transmission of Zika virus, WHO recommends that sexually active men and women be correctly counselled and offered a full range of contraceptive methods to be able to make an informed choice about whether, and when, to become pregnant in order to prevent possible adverse pregnancy and foetal outcomes. For regions without active transmission of Zika virus, WHO also recommends practising safe sex or considering abstinence for a period of six months for men and women who are returning from areas of active transmission.

For more advice on mosquito control, contact the Mosquito Research and Control Unit on 949-2557 in Grand Cayman, or 948-2223 on Cayman Brac; and Department of Environmental Health (DEH) on 949-6696 in Grand Cayman, or 948-2321 in Cayman Brac.

For further information on Zika, please contact the Public Health Department at 244-2648 or 244-2621.

Interim recommendations for prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus

Based on growing evidence that the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted, WHO recommends the following:

Advice on preventing sexual transmission of Zika virus is precautionary and is constantly under review as more information becomes available.

Zika virus usually causes mild illness. Symptoms most commonly include a slight fever or rash, appearing a few days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. Although many will not develop any symptoms at all, others may also suffer from conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and feel tired.

There is no known difference in the symptoms of infected pregnant and non-pregnant women.
The Department of Health of the Philippines discover an additional two cases of Zika virus infections bringing the total to eight.