Patient is a 34-year-old male who had visited South America
The Zika scare has spread, with China reporting its first case. Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, confirmed the news recently.
The patient, a 34-year-old male, had travelled to South America and returned to his hometown in China on February 5. He had showed symptoms of fever, headache and dizziness on January 28, says the official news agency.
The virus has created fear among the world community due its impact on newborn babies who are being born with small heads. Several countries across the globe have accelerated their effort to tackle the situation. US President Barack Obama has requested US $1.8 billion to fight the virus. Many countries have warned their citizens against travelling to affected countries.
On Tuesday, an official of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) said Kenya might withdraw from the Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games, which are scheduled later this year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the spread of the Zika virus and related neurological diseases as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”. The decision was announced by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan after an emergency committee meeting in Geneva.
In India, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare last week issued guidelines on the Zika virus and appointed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi as a nodal agency for investigation of outbreaks in any part of the country. The ministry has also issued travel advisories and suggested that people avoid non-essential travel to affected countries.
According to the guidelines, pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant should defer their travel to the affected areas. It suggests that travelers diagnosed of febrile illness within two weeks of return from an affected country, should report to the nearest health facility.
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