A woman with Zika virus was
hospitalized in the northern city of Bolzano and released in
good health two days later, sources said Thursday. The patient
was infected during a trip to the Caribbean, the sources said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in a March risk
assessment report urged European countries, including Italy, to
prepare for a possible mosquito-borne Zika virus contagion
outbreak.
The risk of transmission of the virus - which has been
linked to severe birth defects such as microcephaly as well as
neurological problems - will increase as mosquitoes become
active with the warm weather, the WHO report said.
"While the Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) is the
primary vector, the Aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito) - which is
present in 20 European countries - can also transmit the virus
and remains a potential vector," the report said.
Aedes aegypti is present on the Portuguese island of
Madeira and on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. The
Aedes albopictus lives in Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta,
Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain,
Switzerland, Turkey, and the Vatican City.
The WHO recommends a four-pronged prevention approach: pest
control, keeping tabs on the virus via an early warning system,
swift lab confirmations of possible infections, and alerting the
public - especially pregnant women - as to the risk.
The organization last month said pregnant Zika victims who
choose to terminate should be granted access to safe abortions.
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