Thailand reports more than 300% increase in Zika infections in 2023
Dengue and chikungunya cases also increased
According to data from the Thailand Bureau of Epidemiology, the country reported 777 Zika virus infections, a 309 percent increase compared to 2022 when the country saw 190 total cases.
No deaths were reported in either year.
This is the most Zika cases reported in Thailand since 2016 when more than 1,100 cases were tallied.
It is reported that at least a dozen babies were born with birth defects in 2023.
The rise in Zika cases correlate with a rise in another disease transmitted by the Aedes mosquito—dengue fever. Thailand reported a 226 percent increase in dengue cases last year (158,705 in 2023 vs 48,679 in 2022).
The dengue death toll also rose from 32 to 181, a 466 percent increase.
Another Aedes mosquito transmitted infection, chikungunya, saw a more modest increase—1311 in 2022 to 1422 in 2023.
Zika is generally a mild and self-limiting disease. Symptoms of Zika virus infection include fever, rashes, joint pain, muscle pain, headache and conjunctivitis (red eyes). However, many people infected with the Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms. Although rare, Zika virus infection can cause microcephaly in unborn babies of pregnant women.
To prevent mosquito bites, individuals should apply mosquito repellent with DEET, picaridin or IR3535 as the active ingredient, wear long sleeve-clothing and stay in rooms which are air-conditioned or have wire-mesh screens.
Persons with Zika virus infection are advised to take these protection measures against mosquito bites to prevent further spread. Infected men and women should practice safe sex or abstain from sex for at least three and two months after recovery to prevent sexual transmission of the Zika virus, respectively.
Interview with Michael Osterholm, PhD—What’s happened to Zika?