Zika virus: Mosquito-borne disease sends Danish man to hospital after Brazil and Mexico trip
A man in Denmark has been hospitalised after contracting the Zika virus during a trip to to Brazil and Mexico. The virus is reported to pose "no risk" to the general public in Denmark.
The man in his 20s was tested for the mosquito-borne virus on 26 January after suffering headaches, fever and muscle pain, but is expected to make a full recovery, Professor Lars Ostergaard of Aarhus University Hospital told Reuters.
The most recent Zika virus case in Europe follows the news from Public Health England that a total of six UK residents have contracted the disease while travelling abroad over the last two years – with three cases diagnosed in 2016 so far.
Although only 20% of people who contract the virus will become ill, with no deaths currently confirmed, Zika can pose a threat to unborn babies – with the disease linked to birth defects including microcephaly, the condition of an unusually small brain and head.
On its website, Public Health England stated: "Zika has a possible association with congenital malformations. Travellers who are pregnant (in any trimester) or planning to become pregnant and who live in, or will travel to areas where any mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, malaria and Zika are known to occur, should consider avoiding travel to an area where active Zika transmission is being reported.
"If travel is unavoidable, or they live in an area where active Zika transmission is being reported, they should take scrupulous measures to avoid mosquito bites during both daytime and night time hours."
The majority of cases thus far have been reported in South and Central America, with more cases expected to be confirmed in the coming months. It is not usually passed from person-to-person, with the exception of mother to foetus and a low risk of sexual transmission.
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