China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently traveled to South America, Xinhua news agency reported.
The virus, which is causing international alarm after spreading through much of the Americas, was detected in a 34-year-old man from Ganxian County in Jiangxi Province, Xinhua said, citing China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission. Chinese health authorities downplayed the risk of the mosquito-borne virus spreading because of the winter cold, Xinhua added.
Hong Kong’s Department of Health said in a statement that the man, who had traveled through the territory on his return to China, worked in Dongguan, a manufacturing city in Guangdong Province.
Hong Kong’s Port Health Office has stepped up inspections at the airport in response and reinforced training for boundary control inspectors, the statement added.
There is a risk that Zika could be spread locally if it was introduced to Hong Kong, the statement said, because Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which transmit the virus, live there. However, no cases of the virus in Hong Kong have been reported so far, it said.
The infected man had been quarantined at a hospital in his hometown since Saturday last week, Xinhua said, adding that he was recovering with normal body temperature and a fading rash.
Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man (高永文) said that the bureau was seeking details of the man’s travel history from Chinese authorities because he had transited through the territory.
The risk of contracting the virus through human contact was low, so the bureau was not worried about the spread of the illness in Hong Kong, Ko said, but he added the authorities were monitoring the situation closely.
Chinese health authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the worst-affected country.
The WHO on Feb. 1 declared an international health emergency over the virus, citing concern over a possible link with a rise in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can result in developmental problems.
Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones including fever and skin rashes.
The Chinese man had traveled to Venezuela and displayed symptoms including a fever, headache and dizziness on Jan. 28, Xinhua said. He returned home on Friday last week via Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
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