Copenhagen: A Danish tourist returning from Latin America has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, which has been blamed for a surge in birth defects in Brazil and other countries in the region.
"A Danish tourist who travelled to Central and South America was diagnosed on his return with the Zika virus," Aarhus hospital in eastern Denmark said in a statement late Tuesday.
Britain has also reported a handful of cases in travellers returning from South America.
One in four people infected with Zika develop symptoms and many cases of Zika go undetected, making it difficult to estimate the true scale of the outbreak in the Americas. PAHO says there are no reliable estimates of the number of cases in the region. Based on reports from affected countries, PAHO estimates there are at least 60,000 suspected cases of Zika, though the real figure is thought to be far higher.
At present, Brazil has the highest rate of infection, followed by Colombia. Zika outbreaks have also been reported in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela, among others.
Colombia's Health Ministry has said that Zika has already infected 13,500 people across the country and there could be as many as 700,000 cases this year. It is estimated that 500 babies will be born with microcephaly in the country.
Pregnancy risks
Women in Colombia have been advised to delay becoming pregnant for six to eight months to avoid possible risks related to the Zika virus. Jamaica has not reported any confirmed cases of Zika, but the health ministry has recommended women delay becoming pregnant for the next six to 12 months. El Salvador has advised women to avoid getting pregnant until 2018. Earlier this month, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned pregnant women to avoid travel to 14 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean affected by the virus.
Researchers in Brazil, WHO say there is growing evidence that links Zika to microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which babies are born with smaller-than-normal heads and brains, but information about the possible transmission of Zika from infected mothers to babies during pregnancy or childbirth is "very limited", PAHO says.
(With agency inputs)
Disclaimer
The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Manorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.