First case of Zika virus has been confirmed in China. The official Xinhua news agency reported that the man who had recently travelled to South America, tested positive to the virus.
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 the eastern province of Jiangxi, Xinhua said, citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Hong Kong's Department of Health said in a statement that the man, who had travelled through the city on his return to China, worked in Dongguan, a bustling manufacturing city in the neighbouring southern province of Guangdong.
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.
The infected man had been quarantined at a hospital in his hometown since Feb. 6, 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 told reporters that the bureau was seeking details of the man's travel history from the mainland authorities because he had transited through the city.
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.
The infected Chinese
man had travelled to Venezuela and displayed symptoms including a fever,
headache and dizziness on Jan 28, Xinhua said. He returned home on Feb. 5 via
Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Culled from Reuters
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