Pregnant Australian Woman Tests Positive For Zika Virus

A pregnant woman from Queensland, Australia has been diagnosed with Zika virus after returning from a country where the virus is prevalent.

A pregnant woman from Australia has tested positive for Zika virus after traveling overseas, said health officials, adding that there was no public health risk.

The confirmation comes after a pregnant woman in the northern state of Queensland was diagnosed with the virus suspected of causing a surge in brain-damaged babies in Brazil.

Zika Fever - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Zika virus is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes which causes mild fever with maculopapular rash. No treatment or vaccine is currently available.

‘Three cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus have been confirmed in Queensland, and two in neighboring New South Wales. ’

The latest case involves a woman from the state of Victoria who was going through an "extremely anxious" time, the southern state's Health Minister Jill Hennessy said.

"A Victorian woman has been diagnosed this week with the Zika virus after recently returning from a country where the Zika virus is prevalent. This woman is pregnant," she said.

"The Zika virus is not present in Australian mosquitoes and there is no risk to the community that this condition will be passed on.

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A doctor who analyzed samples from the victim said that the woman had very unusual respiratory symptoms for Zika.

"However, we are advising all people, particularly pregnant women, to avoid traveling to those countries where there have been Zika outbreaks."

Three cases of the virus have been confirmed in Queensland state this year, and two in neighboring New South Wales.

Proofs Concerning Zika Virus Link to Brain Damage
Two reports show the evidence of Zika Virus disease in the neural tissue of affected infants in Europe, which may highlight its role in brain damage.

None of the cases in Australia of Zika, which normally causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash, were locally acquired.

Scientists suspect that when Zika strikes a pregnant woman it can cause her fetus to develop microcephaly -- a condition that causes the baby to be born with an abnormally small head.

Eye Abnormalities in Infants Associated With Zika Virus
Six months after the onset of the Zika outbreak, there was an unusual increase in newborns with microcephaly. 3,174 newborns with microcephaly were reported.

There is currently no cure or vaccine.

Source-AFP