A of October 2016, 19 cases of Zika Virus infections have been reported in the Philippines. The mosquito-borne disease has already travelled so far since the first case was spotted last year in Brazil; there are now 60 coun­ tries that have reported numbers reaching as high as 400 patients, as in the case of Singapore. In the Philippines, the confirmed cases came from 4 regions: NCR, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas.

The Department of Health re­ cently released an advisory that gives key facts about the disease, along with tips towards its preven­ tion. According to the advisory, a Zika virus infection is caused by a flavivirus, and occurs in tropical countries with a large mosquito population. ll is transmitted Lo humans through the bile of mos­ quitoes from the Aedes genus, the same species that transmits Den­ gue and Chikungunya. The disease can also be transmitted through unprotected sexual contact with a carrier, and the virus has been detected in blood, urine, amni­ otic fluid, semen, saliva, as well as body fluids found in the brain and spinal cord.

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