The acting chief health officer, Rosco Taylor, said the woman had suffered a fever and other symptoms which prompted her to get a blood test, which led to a diagnosis.
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“My primary concern today is not about a public health risk but a woman who is dealing with the anxiety of receiving news that is incredibly concerning”, the minister said in a press conference.
– Bitter cold temperatures we feel make it hard to think about spring but the next season is on the minds of city leaders who met Thursday to discuss how to prepare if the mosquito-borne Zika virus comes to New York City.
Among the countries where the virus has been found are: Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Brazil has been the most affected country, with 1.5 million people infected since early 2015, and health officials there have identified a third citizen whose death could be linked to the Zika virus.
“We have been in close contact with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as infectious disease specialists with expertise regarding the Zika virus”.
“The mosquito species associated with the spread of Zika virus does not exist in our state or region”, Murphy said.
While the disease is primarily transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, it may also be passed from a pregnant mother to her unborn child, according to the CDC.
A World Health Organization expert says scientists will probably need “a few more weeks” to establish if there is a definite link between the Zika virus and Guillain-Barre Syndrome but said the link was “highly probable”. Still, four out of five people infected will have no symptoms or just mild symptoms.
The World Health Organisation has declared the Zika virus outbreak in South America an worldwide emergency. Two other patients past year also died from complications while they were infected with the virus.
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Kipchoge Keino said: “We are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels”.
