Potentially dangerous virus Zika reaches UK
Health officials have revealed that three British citizens have been infected with the Zika virus that may kill newborns.
"As of January 2016, three cases associated with travel to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana have been diagnosed in UK travelers," Public Health England said on its website.
Public Health England did not provide further details but added that the mosquito-borne virus does not occur naturally in the United Kingdom.
The announcement came on the heels of last week's travel alert from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending pregnant women postpone travel to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
On Friday, the CDC expanded its travel warning to include Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde and Samoa.
The Dominican Republic has announced that it has 10 confirmed cases. Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica recommended delaying pregnancies until the ailment is better known.
Brazil has reported a surge in newborns with the defect since October.
The virus has been linked to an increase in cases of a rare neurological condition called microcephaly in babies. Microcephaly results in babies being born with abnormally small heads, and often serious, and sometimes deadly, developmental delays.
However, mosquito bites and mother to unborn baby are not the only ways this virus is transmitted. The new CDC report notes documented cases of infection from sexual transmission, blood transfusion and laboratory exposure.
There is no prevention or treatment. Travelers to dangerous areas are urged to prevent mosquito bites by using mosquito repellant and covering exposed skin.
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