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ZIKA

France faces ‘moderate risk’ of Zika virus outbreak

France faces a "moderate" risk of a Zika virus outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.

France faces 'moderate risk' of Zika virus outbreak
Photo: AFP
Another 18 countries in Europe, including Italy and Malta, were also placed in the “moderate outlook” group ahead of the upcoming summer months, while the Black Sea coastal areas of Georgia and Russia face a high risk, the WHO warned.
 
“The overall risk of a Zika virus outbreak across the WHO European Region is low to moderate during late spring and summer,” it said.
 
That was largely due to the presence of another mosquito species in those countries: the Aedes albopictus, which is less “prone” to causing outbreaks than its cousin in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to research by the Pasteur Institute.
 
Meanwhile, the Black Sea coastal areas of Georgia and Russia face a high risk of a Zika virus outbreak.
 
“The likelihood of local Zika virus transmission, if no measures are taken to mitigate the threat, is … high in limited geographical areas: the (Portuguese) island of Madeira (off Africa) and the northeastern coast of the Black Sea,” WHO said.
 
The reason for the high-level threat in those areas is the presence there of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry the Zika virus that health authorities say causes birth defects in newborns, the UN global health agency said.
 
Within the “moderate likelihood” group, France, Italy and Malta had the top three transmission likelihood scores.
 
The score was based on factors including climatic suitability for the mosquitoes, shipping and air connectivity, population density, urbanisation and history of previous outbreaks of viruses transmitted by insects or other animals.
 
“With this risk assessment, we at WHO want to inform and target preparedness work in each European country based on its level of risk,” said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
 
“We call particularly on countries at higher risk to strengthen their national capacities and prioritise the activities that will prevent a large Zika outbreak.”
 
Recent scientific consensus is that Zika causes microcephaly, a form of severe brain damage in newborns, as well as adult-onset neurological problems which can lead to paralysis and even death.
 
There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus, which in most people causes only mild symptoms – a rash, joint pain or fever.

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ZIKA

First pregnant woman in Austria tests positive for Zika

A pregnant woman from Salzburg was diagnosed with the Zika virus this May, following her return from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

First pregnant woman in Austria tests positive for Zika
Canwest News/Wikimedia
After coming back to Austria, the expectant mother came down with a fever, joint pain and also suffered a rash. Her reported symptoms were consistent with Zika’s onset, which has allegedly spread beyond the point of origin of its most recent outbreak in South and Central America. 
 
Confirmed by Austria’s Ministry of Health, their spokesman from the Department of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Benka stated that the patient is currently under observation. The organization has reported 25 individual cases since the first was diagnosed in January of this year, yet this is the first which could affect an unborn child.
 
Infected pregnant women are most deeply affected by the virus due to its high risk of causing birth defects that are only detectable post-partum. The most severe effects cause the child to be born with a form of microcephaly, a syndrome denoted by an abnormally small skull, heavy cognitive impairment and other developmental issues. 
 
Of the 13 Austrian women and 12 Austrian men who came back from holiday in locations ranging from the Caribbean to southern Central America to Bali, all diagnosed national cases have so far been successfully treated. However, the ministry has warned that the virus is still spreadable as an STD and recommends that men who have visited any of the affected areas make sure to use protection for up to six months after their return.
 
Professor Dr. Herwig Kollaritisch from the Institute of Tropical Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna told Salzburger Nachrichten that the chances of a Zika epidemic occurring in Austria are slim. “This country doesn’t have any mosquitoes that would spread the virus.” Conditions for it to spread via sexual transmission are also too insufficient to cause concern.