South Korea registers first case of Zika virus
A 43-year-old man who recently returned from Brazil was diagnosed with the virus after suffering fever, muscle pain and rash
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 22 March, 2016, 3:52pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 22 March, 2016, 4:20pm
Associated Press
Lab techs Glenda Gonzal (right) and Katia Matias (centre) and team leader virologist Gilberto Santiago work on Zika tests at the CDC's lab in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo: Washington Post
South Korea on Tuesday reported the country’s first case of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that has been linked to birth defects and other health issues.
A 43-year-old man who recently returned from Brazil was diagnosed with the virus after suffering fever, muscle pain and rash, according to a statement from the state-run Centres for Disease Control & Prevention.
The tropical disease, which has become epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, usually causes a mild illness. But the World Health Organisation last month declared the explosive spread of Zika in the Americas to be a global emergency, due to its link to the spike in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads and the rise in a rare neurological syndrome that can cause paralysis and death.
The virus has so far triggered outbreaks in more than 40 countries.
