JEDDAH — No cases of Zika virus have been found in the Kingdom so far, a senior health official has said. He added that precautionary measures have been taken to prevent its outbreak. "We have been strictly implementing the measures advised by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the spread of Zika in the Kingdom," said Prof. Hayel Matar Al-Abdali, director of the department in charge of combating infectious diseases at the Health Ministry. Zika's symptoms are similar to that of dengue, the official said while speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette. Zika virus is transmitted through Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes when they bite people in the morning and evening. Symptoms of Zika include mild to severe fever, conjunctivitis, transient arthritis/arthralgia and maculo-papular rash. These symptoms usually appear three to 12 days after an infected mosquito bites a person and can last for four to seven days. Speaking about precautionary measures, he said: "We subject people who have traveled to the affected countries for medical checkup, remove potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes, enhance public awareness and encourage them to avoid mosquito bites especially during the day time." He said both dengue and Zika viruses are transmitted by the same Egyptian mosquitoes, which look like the mosquitoes that had appeared on the old Pharaonic walls. This mosquito is now found all over the world. Asked whether dengue is more dangerous than Zika, the professor said: "We have to take precautionary measures against all infectious diseases. There is a possibility of spreading the disease because of people traveling to the affected countries." A person may carry the virus from one country to another without showing any symptoms, he pointed out. Dengue has become endemic, affecting thousands of people in the Kingdom every year. Joint efforts have been made by ministries of health and agriculture and municipalities to destroy mosquitoes carrying dengue virus. Referring to MERS Coronavirus, he said the disease has become endemic because of the presence of camels."For the past several months no MERS cases have been reported in the Kingdom but it started appearing again due to camel secretions. All the cases reported in different parts of the Kingdom were caused by association with camels," the professor said. Laboratory tests conducted by the Agriculture Ministry on 112 camels showed that 85 percent of them were affected by MERS. "This shows the problem lies in the source of the virus, which is difficult to control," he said. Asked about international efforts to find vaccines for dengue and MERS, Al-Abdali said: "It is not easy task as many people think. Finding a vaccine for MERS would be a big achievement in the medical field. But it requires more studies and research."
