Zika cases expected to soar in Asia-Pacific, says World Health Org
We're not out of the woods yet. Authorities have warned that Zika infections are expected to continue rising in the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking on Monday in Manila, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Margaret Chan said there hasn't been a "foolproof" approach to controlling the mosquito population, as shown by the decade-long struggle to contain the dengue virus.
The WHO is recommending governments in the region to step up efforts to monitor and report cases of Zika infections. While no deaths have yet been reported globally, complications for infected patients include microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
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Babies born to Zika-infected mothers have been found to have microcephaly, or a birth defect where the head is abnormally small and brains may not have developed properly. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system.
In Singapore, over 400 cases have been reported, while Thailand has reached a similar number. The latter has also confirmed two babies affected by microcephaly, the first cases in Southeast Asia linked to Zika.
Last week, Thailand said it is considering testing all pregnant women for the virus.
Southeast Asian neighbours Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia have reported fewer than 20 cases each.
Further east, Taiwan reported its tenth Zika case two days ago. The woman is said to have contracted the virus in Malaysia.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
