S-E Asia braces itself for Zika as Thailand appears to steer clear
Kuala Lumpur
TROPICAL South-east Asian countries said on Friday that they were bracing themselves for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, with Malaysia saying it could "spread quickly" if introduced, but Thailand appeared to be bucking the trend with just a handful of cases a year.
Zika, linked to severe birth defects including babies born with abnormally small heads, is wreaking havoc in Brazil where the government has deployed more than 200,000 troops to eradicate mosquitoes. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday the virus was "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as four million people in the Americas. No treatment or vaccine is available.
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
South Korea’s March factory output falls most in 15 months
Deflation reaches UK stores as non-food prices fall 0.6%
Japan’s March factory output rises 3.8% vs month earlier
Hong Kong vies with US in Bitcoin ETF market after crypto’s revival
More UK companies plan price rises but wage expectations cool: Lloyds
Campaigning EU chief von der Leyen defends record during debate