The Department of Health-Regional Office VI is working closely with the local government unit of Iloilo to intensify surveillance and mosquito control measures following the confirmed case of Zika virus that involves a 45-year-old female from Iloilo City.
A team of medical experts from the DOH-Central Office and Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) arrived in Iloilo City on Tuesday, September 5, to further assist the regional and LGU teams in the conduct of an in-depth epidemiological investigation that would determine the source of the vector and the scope and magnitude of affected population.
Vector-control measures such as fogging will be conducted in targeted sites using insecticides approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The DOH will also assist patients categorized as Zika suspects (skin rash with fever, conjunctivitis and joint pains) for confirmatory laboratory tests at the RITM.
Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes which also transmit dengue and chikungunya. It presents with a very mild illness and almost 90 percent of patients do not manifest symptoms. What made Zika a major concern, according to the DOH, is its effects on babies born to infected pregnant women. Zika has been reported to cause neurologic defects such as microcephaly and brain deformities.
The public is urged to be “good citizens” by maintaining the cleanliness of their surroundings, destroying mosquito breeding sites and avoiding mosquito bites.
The DOH stressed that the key to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika is heightened vigilance and stronger community efforts of every households.