B.C. resident diagnosed with Zika virus after trip to El Salvador

A B.C. resident who recently travelled to El Salvador contracted a virus spread through mosquito bites, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.

TheZikaillnessis caused by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, usually causing mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and muscle pain, the Pan American Health Organization says.

Mosquitoes known to transmit the virus to humans are not present in Canada.The same type of tropicalmosquito alsotransmits dengue and chikungunya.

Symptoms of infectionare usually mild and last for twoto sevendays. Headacheand rash, along with joint and muscle pain, can also occur.

Aboutone in four people infected with thevirus are believed to develop symptoms, a spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday.

"The risk to Canadians is low," the agency's notice says.

And there have been no reported cases of thevirusinCanada.

"Canadiantravellers visiting affected areas, particularly pregnant women, should help protect themselves against Zika virus by taking individual protective measures to prevent mosquito bites, including using insect repellent, protective clothing, mosquito nets, screened doors and windows."

There is no preventive vaccine or specific treatmentfor Zika virus, which focuses onrelieving pain, fever, and any other symptoms.

South American cases

Thevirus was isolated for the first time in 1947 in the Zika forest in Uganda, the Pan American Health Organization said.Since then, it has circulated mainly in Africa, with small and sporadic outbreaks in Asia.

Last year, the virus wasconfirmed in Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, El Salvador, Mexico,Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Guatemala andParaguay, according to public health officials.

TrudieLang, professor of Global Health Research at OxfordUniversity, calledZikaa cause for concern for investigators.

"It's definitely becoming an issue, but there is so littleresearch that we just don't know the size of the potential
threat," Lang she told Reuters.

Health officials in Brazil also suspect a link between Zika virus and infants born with an abnormally small head and microcephaly,an underdeveloped brain that can limit a child'smentaland physical abilities.

The Brazilian investigation points to an average 20-fold increase in incidence ofmicrocephaly among newborns born in areas where Zika virus circulates.

"Although there is mounting evidence to warrant concern, the investigation is ongoing to confirm whether Zika virus may be the cause of these microcephaly cases," the Canadian public health agency said.

Reducing the breeding of mosquitoes is another prevention strategy, the World Health Organization says.