Child in Yangon tested for suspected Zika

Test results are expected on November 18 or tomorrow on a suspected Zika virus case, according to the Department of Public Health. A six-year-old child from Lanma­daw township is the latest to undergo testing after exhibiting symptoms commonly seen with the Zika virus, said Dr Than Htun Aung, deputy director general of the Department of Public Health. The department has tested some 50 potential Zika cases around the country so far, since the diagnosis of a pregnant foreign woman last month. The assistant director of Yangon Region’s Department of Public Health, Dr Aye Mon Mon Kyaw, said township medical departments have been instructed to make a concerted effort to identify potential Zika cases. “It is not possible to test all patients in the lab for Zika. But departments have a form to fill out with the symptoms of a patient. If it matches the symptoms of Zika, tests will be done,” she said.

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