Europe reports first pregnancy case of Zika virus as fears spread
Health
Europe reports first pregnancy case of Zika virus as fears spread
A pregnant woman who returned to her home in Spain after visiting Colombia has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, in the first such known European case, the country said. Spain’s health ministry announced that the woman is one of seven cases in the country, but sought to ease concerns, indicating there is little risk of the virus becoming widespread in Spain.
Up to now, the diagnosed cases of Zika virus in Spain … don’t risk spreading the virus in our country as they are imported cases.
Spain’s Health Ministry
The news comes as authorities in Brazil disclosed two cases of transmission tied to blood transfusions, adding to concerns over the spread of the virus. The Brazil cases, along with a reported case of sexual transmission of the virus in Texas, add a new dimension to efforts to limit Zika’s spread. Sexual contact and blood transfusions as modes of transmission of the virus have been matters of concern for experts since the beginning of the outbreak, but it seems unlikely either will lead to widespread transmission of Zika.
A little bit of transmission? Sure. But the main engine of transmission that has led this virus to be spread widely throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean is, of course, the mosquito.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee
