Minumum Risk of Zika Virus Spreading to Bulgaria After First Registered Case in Romania
Health | July 13, 2016, Wednesday // 20:03| viewsThe Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits the Zika virus. Photo: Wikipedia
According to Bulgarian health authorities, the risk of Zika virus spreading to the country has not heightened after the first registered case in Romania.
On Tuesday, Romania's health ministry confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had been tested positive for Zika virus.
A spokesperson of the Romanian health ministry was firm that the woman had not contracted the virus in Romania and the risk of Zika spreading in Romania was minimal, AGERPRES news agency quotes him as saying.
The woman, who had recently returned to Romania after a trip to Martinique at the end of June and early July, is believed to had contracted the virus during her stay at the Caribbean island.
A day after her return to Romania, she had slight fever and rashes on the chest and arms, symptoms typical of the disease. She was admitted to hospital for two days and released after the symptoms disappeared.
Since last week, regional health inspectorates and large hospitals in Bulgaria have been warned to carefully monitor patients with similar symptoms.
The virus is transmitted to people when they are bitten by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The mosquito has been detected in Bulgaria, but this is not case for concern.
Municipalities have been ordered to spray against mosquitoes at least until the end of the summer, private bTV station reports.
The virus is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can infect the foetus.
The risk of the virus spreading will increase during the Rio Olympics in August as it was in the Brazil where the latest Zika outbreak began.
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