No spreading of Zika fever in Thailand

BANGKOK, January 29 (TNA) - The Ministry of Public Health affirms that there has been no spreading of the Zika fever in Thailand, where a patient has been reported this year. Thai Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn made the assurance on January 28, noting that the disease is not fatal as most patients could recover by themselves, but the disease could cause disabilities to newborns, referring to babies born with shrunken heads. Dr. Piyasakol said the first Zika patient was found in Thailand in 2012 and official statistics showed that there had been five Zika patients in the country yearly on average until 2015. According to the minister, Thai health authorities are implementing measures to control the Zika fever, including control on striped mosquitoes, the carriers of the disease like dengue fever. Meanwhile, Dr. Amnuay Gajeena, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Disease Control, told reporters that Zika patients develop a fever, rashes, red eyes and joint pain, but the symptoms are not so severe as those of dengue fever patients and the symptoms, with quick and right treatment, would be relieved within 2-7 days, while the best protection from the disease is to keep away from areas at risk of the mosquitoes. The Zika fever is now reportedly spreading in some 20 countries, including Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadalupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname and Venezuela. (TNA)