Zika Virus Affects Three Britons

Three Britons have contracted Zika virus after travelling to South and Central America, officials have confirmed.

16:50 25 January 2016

The Public Health of England (PHE) has confirmed three cases of Zika involving Britons who recently travelled to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana.

 

Although the virus is not contagious or is not spread directly from person to person, PHE said: "a small number of cases have occurred through sexual transmission or by transmission from mother to foetus via the placenta."

 

Meanwhile, women living in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have been advised to delay getting pregnant until more information is obtained about the mosquito-born virus, which may cause severe birth defects.

Dr Alain Cole from the University of Glasgow said that there was a "mounting circumstantial evidence" to suggest that Zika could be linked to microcephaly.

"Probably the majority of people will not even realise they are infected [with Zika]. Only about 20% of people will develop symptoms - and these symptoms are mild," he added.

 

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued initial travel warnings to pregnant women and added eight more places to the list on Friday. The warning is applicable to Central and South America (Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatamala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela), Caribbean (Barbados, Saint Martin, Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe), Samoa, and Cape Verde in Africa.