A pregnant woman and her husband who were thought to have contracted the Zika virus while visiting Fiji and the Solomon Islands have tested negative for the disease, with a second test to be carried out next week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The couple visited the two nations from April 23 to Monday last week, arriving back at Kaohsiung International Airport, the CDC said.
The woman began to suffer from fever, muscle pains and rashes on Friday last week, while on Wednesday her husband began to complain of the same symptoms, the CDC said.
The pair sought treatment on Thursday and their conditions were reported to the CDC by Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
Although the first blood tests suggest that the couple do not have the virus, a second blood test is to be administered on Saturday as a precaution, the centers said.
Kaohsiung City Department of Health has sent specialists to disinfect the area near the couple’s home and advised the couple’s family members to take precautionary measures against mosquito bites.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said that as the first tests were negative for the virus, people do not have to be too concerned, adding that the CDC would continue to monitor the couple’s health.
More than 2,000 people have been tested for the Zika virus in Taiwan this year, with only two imported cases of the virus confirmed so far, the CDC said, adding that more than 60 nations and regions worldwide have confirmed indigenous cases, with parts of Latin America and the Caribbean the worst affected.
The government’s travel advisory for Fiji and the Solomon Islands is at the “alert” level, meaning that there is an ongoing risk of infection. People are advised to take extra precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and pregnant women or women who are planning to get pregnant are advised to temporarily avoid traveling to those areas.
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