Authority: If no complication, Zika virus is not deadly

BANGKOK, September 6 (TNA) - A Thai health authority says that Zika virus is not fatal if there is no complication in a patient. Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, under the Thai Ministry of Public Health, stressed on Tuesday that Zika virus would not lead to the fatality of a patient unless there was any serious complication detected in the patient. Dr. Opas told journalists that a patient infected with the Zika virus could be completely treated and fully recover from it, as the Zika virus would remain in his/her blood stream, or a man's semen, for only 3-6 months. The senior health authority, however, expressed concerns over infected pregnant women, as the Zika virus could affect the development of their foetuses, probably causing a serious birth defect of the brain of a newborn, called microcephaly, and other severe birth defects. The senior Thai health authority said infected pregnant women could also be treated from the Zika virus, but a close observation of their foetuses is needed to see whether an embryo is affected by the virus. According to the senior Thai health authority, the Zika virus is not as fatal as dengue fever, which is also carried by common house mosquitoes, or the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). (TNA)