Thailand has laboratory capabilities to detect Zika virus

BANGKOK, February 4 (TNA) - An experienced virologist at the Faculty of Medicine, Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University, confirms that Thailand's laboratories are capable of distinguishing between the Zika virus and the dengue virus and a recently reported discovery that the Zika disease could be sexually transmitted was not new. Dr. Yong Poovorawan, a clinical virology specialist at the faculty's Department of Paediatrics, voiced the confirmation on February 3, telling journalists that laboratory operations are necessary to distinguish between the Zika virus, the dengue virus and the Chikungunya virus. Dr. Yong stressed that Thailand's laboratories have had the capability for three years by applying the biomolecular detection, in which a test with a patient's urine can produce an outcome within only 4-6 hours. According to the Thai virologist, a recent discovery in the United States that the Zika virus could be sexually transmitted was not new knowledge, while the transmission of the Zika disease is also possible through placentas, breastfeeding and blood donation. The Thai virologist, thus, advised pregnant women and women expecting pregnancy not to visit any country where the Zika virus is spreading to prevent disabilities in their newborns and those who return from such a country to be put under surveillance and refrain from donating blood for 14 days to prevent the transmission of the disease. (TNA)