BREAKING! Zika Virus News: Hungary Authorities Report That Two Individuals Returning After A Holiday Trip To Thailand Test Positive For Zika Virus!

Zika Virus News: Health authorities from Hungary have reported that two Hungarian nationals returning from Thailand tested positive for the Zika virus!
https://www.nnk.gov.hu/index.php/nnk-hirek/1891-ket-thaifoldon-jart-szemelynel-igazolt-tropusi-szunyogcsipessel-terjedo-zika-virus-fertozest-a-nemzeti-nepegeszsegugyi-kozpont

https://www.budapesttimes.hu/health/public-health-centre-two-cases-of-zika-infection-detected-in-hungary/
 
https://dailynewshungary.com/two-cases-of-zika-infection-detected-in-hungary/



Both individuals had developed symptoms just before leaving Bangkok and upon arrival in Hungary were taken immediately to a hospital for quarantine and checkup and laboratory diagnostics confirmed that they were infected with the Zika virus.
 
Hungarian officials are planning to issue travel warnings to all citizens travelling to Thailand soon and as of now, no details yet have emerged as to what parts of Thailand the two individuals had been to besides Bangkok.There is also no public statements from the Thai authorities with regards to the reports by the Hungarian health ministry.
 
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus belong to the Flaviviridae family and share a genus with the viruses that cause dengue fever, yellow fever and also the West Nile virus.
 
The Zika virus is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947.
 
The infection is associated with a birth defect called microcephaly, which can affect babies born to individuals who become infected with Zika while pregnant.
 
Humans are the disease reservoir, meaning mosquitoes get Zika from an infected person during the first week of their symptoms. Mosquitoes can then spread the disease to other people through bites. There are three primary methods of Zika transmission: mosquito bite, mother to baby, and sexual transmission.
 
The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting up to a week or more. Most individuals infected with the Zika virus have no signs and symptoms. Some people have mild fever, headache, red eyes, rash and muscle pain. In rare cases, the Zika virus may cause brain or nervous system complications, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, even in people who never show symptoms of infection.
 
To date, there is no specific treatment available for Zika virus infection or disease. People with symptoms such as rash, fever or joint pain should get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and treat symptoms with antipyretics and/or analgesics.
Pregnant women are always advised to consider postponing non-essential travel to high-risk countries like Thailand.
 
To date, there are no approved vaccines for clinical use, however a number of vaccines are currently in clinical trials. (We can however expect as usual some stupid Thai doctors from the usu al institutions to come up and say they have found the cure for Zika virus disease or have come up with a vaccine for Zika virus!..... as they have done many times in the past for HIV, Ebola and even COVID-19!)
 
The incidence of Zika infections have been very low since 2017 but this new development is worrying the officials from the WHO informed of the development by the Hungarian health authorities. Other European health officials and also the ECDC have been briefed about the development.
 
The European health officials are worried that Zika virus might be silently affecting lots of people in Thailand and also those travelling to Thailand and help spread the virus elsewhere and also as there is no proper genomic surveillance, perhaps the Zika virus could also be evolving and mutating and spewing out newer strains In Thailand.
 
So far, the Thailand health authorities have not issued any statements about the reports from the Hungarian health authorities or to confirm if there is a silent Zika virus outbreak in Thailand and neither has there been any local Zika Virus News coverages about the development. But it is usual for authorities to typically conceal or downplay such issues as the country is literally dying for the tourist dollar and the authorities will bend in any way to ensure that the tourism sector is not affected. Furthermore, most of the officials and politicians are more concerned and engrossed about the coming elections and also the Cannabis saga which concerns the stupid move to legalize Cannabis in Thailand which is now claimed to be backfiring as some speculate that it has failed to achieve its objectives of ensuring that local Thais can make money from growing it as it seems most of the Cannabis and cannabis products sold in shops seems to be' illegally imported' products from the United States and elsewhere coupled with unverified claims that many foreigners especially Americans, British, Singaporeans, Russians and Chinese with close connections with politicians or Thai friends of these politicians  from a certain political party are either owning most of these Cannabis shops in the country or are using Thai proxies to own them. Some are also bringing in foreign franchises of cannabis products or cannabis concepts. Furthermore, the growing number of Thai teenagers and also young adults using the Cannabis and becoming addicted to the drug is becoming a social issue coupled with the fact that none of the poor Thai farmers who switched to growing Cannabis are making any real monies. It is alarming and also ironic to see Cannabis infused products and drinks being sold at 24 hour convenenient stores without any 'emphasized health warnings' while liqour sales are restricted! It seems that the Cannabis policy only benefitted a selected few in the country! Also it is now being claimed that in parts of Bangkok (ie Sukhumvit and Khao San vicinity ), Pattaya and elsewhere, many Thai Indians from the Punjabi community who are believed to be involved in money laundering, illegal money lending, football gambling and running small gambling dens are also running many of the Cannabis shops and it is speculated  that certain authorities are been paid under table monies to close one eye to the activities of these Punjabi Thai Indians.

We can also soon expect some stupid and not credible local maintstream media to typcially feature some charlatan virologist (Note: based on international standards, accreditation and credentials, there are actually no properly qualified virologists in Thailand!) to claim that there is no Zika virus outbreak in Thailand or that the Zika virus outbreak has ended... just as COVID-19!

In the meanwhile, travellers planning to come to Thailand should do their own due diligence and maybe seek other safer and more 'health transparent' destinations.
 
For the latest Zika Virus News updates, keep on logging to Thailand Medical News.