Health authorities in Chile are reporting the first imported Zika virus infection case in a man who arrived from Colombia, according to a Globo.com report (computer translated).
The patient is currently being treated at a medical facility and a second possible case is “being assessed”.
According to the Ministry of Health, this imported case does not pose a risk of generating new cases in the country, since the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, does not exist in Chilean mainland.
In Feb. 2014, the Chilean Ministry of Health reported a confirmed case of Zika virus on the territory located in the Pacific Ocean known as Rapa Nui or Easter Island in the Pacific. This was the first local transmission of Zika in the Western hemisphere. By the end of the outbreak that year, 173 people were infected and no new cases since then.
The Chilean government has recommended to women who are pregnant or planning to be, avoid traveling to countries where Zika virus has been detected because of a possible link between the disease and births of babies with microcephaly.
Related:
- Cape Verde: 7,000 Zika cases, No microcephaly
- Colombia: Sincelejo man contracts dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika fever simultaneously
- CDC reiterates Zika travel notice for Mexico with upcoming Pope visit
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