On Friday, Colombia’s health minister said – preemptively and perhaps incorrectly – that there was a “causal connection” between Zika, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and three deaths that occurred in the country, BBC reports.
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There has been at least one other documented case of a person who died after contracting the Zika virus.
The mosquito-borne Zika virus is causing worldwide concern because of its link to microcephaly, a rare birth defect in which babies are born with unusually small heads and incomplete brain development.
In Brazil alone, there are now 404 cases of microcephaly that were reported since October, with most of the cases being linked to a Zika infection. “The world is realising that Zika can be deadly”.
Health authorities warn that in its current pace, the Zika virus is well on its way to infect about four million people on the continent, before spreading worldwide.
Mr Gaviria said one of the fatalities took place in San Andres and the other two in Turbo, in Antioquia department.
He did not elaborate further on the connection between Zika and Guillain-Barre. “But it is still probably a very rare event”. The Health Secretary has warned that there might be more that are infected in the country, since the symptoms of the virus usually go unnoticed at first. However, it has not yet been proved that Zika causes either microcephaly or Guillain-Barre. The best way to prevent Zika infection is to prevent mosquito bites, the CDC says.
Paulo Gadelha, the head of Brazil’s Fiocruz Institute which is part of the Ministry of Health, said: “The presence of the active Zika virus has been found in saliva and urine”.
Until now, there have been no recorded deaths caused by the recent Zika outbreak.
The guidance also suggests the men might consider abstaining or using condoms even with a partner who isn’t pregnant.
The US Centers for Disease Control believes a recent case of Zika was spread through sex. All travelers are advised to use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid mosquito bites.
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Puerto Rico’s health officials have announced on Thursday that the first case of the Zika virus infection on a pregnant woman has just been confirmed. The US territory has 22 confirmed cases.
