A woman in the UK is thought to have been infected with the Zika virus through sexual transmission, health officials have said.
Public Health England (PHE) said that one case of “likely sexual transmission” of Zika virus infection has been reported in the UK.
Meanwhile, of the 265 travel-associated cases reported in Britain, seven have been diagnosed in pregnant women, PHE said.
PHE said the case of sexually transmitted Zika virus was identified in a woman whose partner had recently visited an affected region.
She has since made a full recovery, PHE said.
The mosquito-borne disease has been linked to a birth defect called microcephaly, which results in children with abnormally small heads and brain damage.
The mosquito that transmits the virus is not found in the UK so risk to the wider British public is deemed to be negligible by health leaders.
Of the 265 British travellers identified as being infected with the virus, the majority of cases – 190 – are associated with travel to the Caribbean, according to the figures from Public Health England.
Cases have been linked to travel to Barbados, Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago
Meanwhile, 33 cases have been linked to travel to South America and two cases have been associated to travel to Florida in the US.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of the Zika disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes), usually lasting from several days to a week, and most patients don’t need hospitalisation. However the outbreak in Brazil has led to instances of Guillain-Barre syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects. (Telegraph)
