Zika patient not Makati resident, says city health chief

The Makati City Health Department on Saturday clarified that the 42-year-old male who the Department of Health (DOH) earlier reported to be one of the two latest cases of the Zika virus infection only works in Makati and resides in neighboring Mandaluyong.

This means that no Zika cases have been reported so far within Makati, according to the city health officer, Dr. Bernard Sese.

“The male patient found positive for the Zika virus, who is a nonresident, is already well. Unlike dengue that can cause death, Zika is associated with microcephaly or babies born with small heads. It mostly affects pregnant women,” Sese said in a statement.

The other patient was a 27-year-old woman also from Mandaluyong, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said on Friday. “None of the patients were hospitalized, as of this report. They’re all well and have recovered,” she said.

The DOH then said two new cases raised to 17 the total number of Zika cases in the country. Twelve cases were earlier found in Iloilo City and surrounding areas, and one each in Cebu, Antipolo and Muntinlupa.

Meanwhile, Makati Mayor Abby Binay said local health authorities had yet to determine where the patient contracted the virus, as she called on the residents to remain calm and help clean up possible breeding areas for mosquitoes.

Zika has been found to be transmittable though sexual contact and the Aedes mosquito, which are also identified as a vector that can spread dengue and chikunguniya.

Sese said Binay had ordered his department to determine areas in the barangays with a high density of mosquitoes and set up ovi-larvitraps as countermeasures.

The city would resort to misting only if the mosquito density would remain high despite the cleanup and ovi-larvitrap solution, he said. —Dexter Cabalza