Mr Wirasak said 27 other people believed infected with the mosquito-borne virus were also being tested. There was no reason to panic, Phichit was not the only province where Zika cases were reported, he said. Last September, the Public Health Ministry confirmed that two children born in Thailand with abnormally small heads were infected with the Zika virus. The ministry said these were the first recorded cases of babies being infected by the virus in Thailand and diagnosed with Zika-linked microcephaly. Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other severe brain defects, according to information published on the website of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Source: Bangkok Post July 04, 2017 04:30 UTC