PHL ends 2016 with 53 Zika cases —DOH

The number of people who were afflicted by the Zika virus reached 53 by December 30, 2016, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said at a briefing in the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday.

“As of December 30, we have 53 confirmed cases. And I think the last case was way back in December 23. The age range is 7 to 59 years old with a median age of 32," Ubial said.

"Fifty-three pa rin. Walang additional cases," he added.

The latest addition was reported after the DOH gave its last update on December 28, when it announced that there were 52 confirmed cases of Zika confined in various health facilities in the Philippines.

Ubial said the new patient was not pregnant at the time of their infection.

"Sixty-five percent are females and wala pong nadagdag sa pregnant, it's still four, and the one in Las Piñas actually gave birth to a healthy baby, walang microcephaly, last December," she said.

The pregnant patients live in Las Piñas, Biñan in Laguna, Cebu, and Quezon City.

Those still with child remain under monitoring by the DOH.

"We're still awaiting the other three pregnant women but there are no signs of microcephaly or any mental disorder, neurological findings among the three fetuses," Ubial said.

A study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that about six percent of babies in the United States born to mothers infected with Zika had  birth defects.

The study observed 422 women with possible Zika infection who had given birth by September 22. —NB, GMA News