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| Zika virus: Three returning UK travellers diagnosed | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Three travellers who returned to the UK from South and Central America have been diagnosed with the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that has been linked to brain deformities in babies. | Three travellers who returned to the UK from South and Central America have been diagnosed with the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that has been linked to brain deformities in babies. |
| Public Health England said in a statement on its website the three people had presented with the virus after travelling to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana, all countries which are experiencing Zika outbreaks. | Public Health England said in a statement on its website the three people had presented with the virus after travelling to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana, all countries which are experiencing Zika outbreaks. |
| Related: Zika virus: its effects, how it is spread, and the possible threat to women | Related: Zika virus: its effects, how it is spread, and the possible threat to women |
| The statement said Zika “does not occur naturally in the UK” and said it can be transmitted only from the bite of a mosquito or, in rare cases “through sexual transmission or by transmission from mother to foetus via the placenta”. | The statement said Zika “does not occur naturally in the UK” and said it can be transmitted only from the bite of a mosquito or, in rare cases “through sexual transmission or by transmission from mother to foetus via the placenta”. |
| It does “not spread directly from person to person”, the statement said. | It does “not spread directly from person to person”, the statement said. |
| The three cases are believed to be the first to be confirmed inside the country. | The three cases are believed to be the first to be confirmed inside the country. |
| They come as the US warned pregnant women against travel to 22 countries that are experiencing Zika outbreaks, most in Latin America and the Caribbean. | They come as the US warned pregnant women against travel to 22 countries that are experiencing Zika outbreaks, most in Latin America and the Caribbean. |
| While the symptoms of Zika itself tend to be mild – they include joint pain and a rash – scientists believe it is linked to microcephaly, or abnormally small brains, in newborns. As a result, authorities in Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador have advised women against becoming pregnant during the outbreak. | While the symptoms of Zika itself tend to be mild – they include joint pain and a rash – scientists believe it is linked to microcephaly, or abnormally small brains, in newborns. As a result, authorities in Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador have advised women against becoming pregnant during the outbreak. |
| Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that was first isolated from a monkey in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947. The first outbreak outside of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands only occurred in May 2015, when a case was reported in Brazil. Since then the disease has spread to 18 other countries in south and central America and the Caribbean. | Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that was first isolated from a monkey in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947. The first outbreak outside of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands only occurred in May 2015, when a case was reported in Brazil. Since then the disease has spread to 18 other countries in south and central America and the Caribbean. |
| There is no vaccine to combat Zika, meaning the only way for travellers to protect themselves is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito. | There is no vaccine to combat Zika, meaning the only way for travellers to protect themselves is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito. |