THE Department of Health on Tuesday reported the third case of a pregnant woman afflicted with the Zika virus, bringing to 39 the total number of Zika cases as of Nov. 22.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said the five-month pregnant woman was five months pregnant and was from Laguna. The additional cases were one from Mandaluyong and two from Iloilo Cify who were all not pregnant.
She said the latest pregnant victim was 27 and had already had an ultrasound, but they were yet to get the results.
Ubial said the two other pregnant cases were a 22-year-old from Cebu and a 16-year-old from Las Piñas..
Assistant Health Secretary Eric Tayag said the 16-year-old was 20 weeks pregnant and had had an ultrasound.
He said his department was continuously monitoring the conditions of the pregnant patients, and that they would have to monitor their babies from the time they were born up to two years because the effects of the Zika virus manifested themselves two years later.
Ubial said they would be continuing their strategy of reducing the mosquito population in the country. Aedes aegypti, the main vector for Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya, is prevalent in the Philippines.
She exhorted the public to use insect repellents and insecticide-treated mosquito nets if possible and seek early consultation.
“We’re still offering free testing for Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya to anybody who has symptoms,” Ubial said.
“Bringing down the mosquito population is the best strategy to prevent Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya infections.”
Zika, which resembles a light case of the flu, is transmitted by mosquito species found in tropical and sub-tropical regions: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus or tiger mosquitoes.
The disease is usually not life-threatening but has been linked to a rise in birth defects in other countries, where hundreds of babies have been born with unusually small heads.
The birth defects caused by the Zika virus are microcephaly and other brain deformities in newborns.
