Zika virus Case of Zika virus reported in Cologne
Cologne/Geneva/Rio de Janeiro · A case of the Zika virus has reportedly affected a woman from Cologne who had traveled to Haiti.
World Health Organization (WHO) officials are concerned about the Zika virus which is “spreading explosively”. Margaret Chan, Director of the WHO has called for a meeting on Monday to decide whether to declare it a public health emergency. The virus is transmitted by mosquitos and there are indications that it is linked to microcephaly, when infants are born with abnormally small heads and damaged brains.
Authorities made known yesterday that a case had been reported in Cologne. It was confirmed by a blood test in a woman who lives in Cologne but had traveled to Haiti. She was brought to a special clinic in Hamburg. According to Robert Koch Institute, the leading German public health institute, it is the second known case in Germany this year. Zika virus cases have also been found in other European countries.
According to the WHO, Brazil has had possibly 1.5 million cases and health officials there are investigating 4180 possible cases of microcephaly. Honduras has reported 1000 cases of the virus. It causes a fever in adults and otherwise appears harmless. However, the large number of suspected microcephaly cases in Brazil caused alarm, and health authorities are now investigating the link between microcephaly and the Zika virus.
(Orig. text: dpa/ga)
