TWO more people were afflicted with the Zika virus, bringing to 17 the total number of Zika cases so far, the Department of Health said Friday.
Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said a boy and an adult female, both from Cavite, contracted the disease, and that they were yet to be brought to a hospital.
The two aside,15 more Zika patients have been listed in Cavite, Iloilo, Makati, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Antipolo and Cebu.
The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is usually not life-threatening but has been linked to a rise in birth defects in other countries, where hundreds of babies have been born with unusually small heads.
The virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, and mainly the Aedes aegypti in the urban areas and the Aedes albopictus in the rural areas.
Aedes bites aggressively during the day and is the same mosquito that transmits Dengue and Chikungunya
The Health department says people who are experiencing Zika symptoms”•skin rashes, fever, red eyes and a headache”•to immediately consult a doctor.