Laos reports local transmission of Zika virus, increasingly linked to birth defects
Laos joined a total of 41 countries that have reported local transmissions of the virus since the beginning the year, a WHO report said.
Laos is the latest country to report a local transmission of Zika virus, according to the World Health Organisation, as fears mount over the mosquito-borne illness that has been linked to birth defects.
Asia has seen only a sprinkling of cases of the virus, but a surge in Latin America this year has pushed the UN health agency to declare Zika a global health emergency.
Laos joined a total of 41 countries that have reported local transmissions of the virus since the beginning the year, a WHO report said.
Health authorities in Laos, a rural Communist country with minimal infrastructure, were not available to comment.
Neighbouring Thailand reported one case last month of a 22-year-old who contracted the illness domestically and has since recovered.
Thailand’s health ministry urged the public not to panic, saying there have been an average of five cases per year since 2012 with no outbreaks.