Japan urges doctors to report Zika patients

Officials at Japan’s Health Ministry plan to issue all medical facilities in the country an order to report if they diagnose a patient with the Zika virus, in a bid to contain the spread of the disease. No cases have been reported in the country so far. The mosquito-borne disease has been spreading mainly in Central and South America since May last year. Brazil has seen a surge in the number of newborns with birth defects. Some experts suspect a link with the virus. The Ministry officials will also distribute Zika virus test kits to health facilities across the country. They also advise women to try to avoid traveling to affected countries during pregnancy.   Source and image: NHK Share this:TweetEmail