Zika Alert: First Zika Case in Hong Kong Confirmed; First Case of Sexual Zika Transmission Shows No Symptoms?[VIDEO]
ByThere are two Zika cases have been confirmed this week: one case in Hong Kong, China, which was confirmed on Thursday, and the other case is in Maryland.
In Maryland, a man has no idea that he had Zika, and he transmitted the virus to his partner during their sexual intercourse, according to CNN. This news was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control, and the health institute announced that this was the first documented case of a person with no symptoms sexually transmitting the virus to a partner. The man was reported had not traveled to an area of an active Zika zone.
In Hong Kong, first case of Zika virus was confirmed. Controller of the Center for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Leung Ting-hung said at a media conference on Thursday, August 25, that relevant measures have been taken in order to prevent the virus from spreading, Fortune reported.
Leung Ting-hung said that the government's priority is to control the mosquito population in Hong Kong. In a statement, the department of health said the patient with Zika virus is a 38-year-old woman. She has developed and red eyes since August 20.
According to local broadcaster RTHK, in February, a Mainland Chinese man who flew into Hong Kong was diagnosed with Zika virus.
The Zika was detected in Brazil in 2015, and the virus has spread across the America. The virus is a threat to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects, and it has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus, same family as Yellow Fever such as West Nile River virus, Chikingunya, and Dengue fever. There is no vaccine to prevent Zika, nor treatment to treat the infection to combat Zika.
Common symptoms of this mosquito-borne virus are fever, rash, headaches, and red eyes.