Chinese health officials reported last night the first case of Zika virus infection on the mainland. The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) says the case is an imported, or travel-associated case.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

The case was laboratory confirmed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on February 9.

According to the NHFPC, the male patient aged 34 from Ganxian, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, works in Dongguan, Guangdong. He developed fever, dizziness and headache in Venezuela on January 28 and attended a local hospital for management.

He then traveled to Hong Kong on February 3 and stayed in Hong Kong International Airport until he transferred to Shenzhen by ferry on February 4. Upon arrival in Ganzhou on February 5, he was hospitalized for isolation and management on February 6. As of last night, he was afebrile with skin rash subsided.

Hong Kong health officials said, “Locally, as the patient has been staying within the airport with no other local movements in Hong Kong, and Zika virus is mainly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, our Port Health Office has stepped up inspection in the airport to maintain strict environmental hygiene with effective mosquito control. Port Health Inspectors have reinforced training for contractors of boundary control points (BCPs) on port hygiene and pest control for effective vector prevention.”

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China /CIA
China /CIA