27 Feb 2016

Zika virus is diagnosed in France as a woman falls ill after her partner travelled to South America

France has confirmed the first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus in the country after a woman was infected when her partner returned from Brazil.
 
Health minister Marisol Touraine told AFP during a visit to French Guiana that the case was detected several days ago in 'a woman who is not pregnant'.

The couple lives in the Paris area and the woman is 'doing well' according to authorities. 'She showed classic signs of the disease,' an official said. 'She was not hospitalised and is doing well.' 
 
Zika virus is mainly spread by mosquito bites, and sexual transmission has been considered rare. 

Last week, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that it is investigating 14 possible cases of sexual transmission in the country, including two pregnant women whose infections have been confirmed. 

So far, all the 82 Zika infections diagnosed in the US have involved people who travelled to South America.

No comments:

Post a Comment