Is head-shrinking Zika virus in
BRITAIN? Expert says mosquitoes linked to illness are coming into UK on
container ships and in the grooves of car tyres
Fears the Zika virus could strike Britain were fuelled after
an insect expert claimed mosquitos that can carry the disease have been found
here. Howard Carter said there have been several sightings of the
Aedes Aegypti flying around in the countryside.
The mosquito can carry the Zika virus which is gripping
Brazil and the Americas and can cause babies to be been with abnormally small
heads and brains.
Pregnant women have been advised not to travel to countries
affected by the disease – and some holiday companies said they would refund
customers unable to travel over fears of the virus.
Now Mr Carter, one of Britain's leading bite protection experts, said
the Aedes species had been reported on the Kent coast and in West Sussex.
He said: 'They are here already and I have seen them myself
north of Chichester in West Sussex.
'I am aware of sightings on the Kent coast which have been
reported to me so it is not a matter of if or when - they are here.
He said they are getting into the country in the grooves of
car tyres where females lay their eggs in trapped water in the rims. They are also able to arrive in stagnant water in container
ships carrying coffee, according to Mr Carter. He added: 'They are not here in any great great numbers yet.
'But in my view it is only a matter of time before that
becomes the case.
'It may be a year or it may be 10 but it will be here because
of global warming creating a warmer and more attractive climate.'
The Zika virus has spread like wild fire across 20 countries
in south and central America in the past year. Mr Carter's claims are lent support by a report by Public
Health England exper Jolyon Medlock last year which warned northern Europe
would become increasingly threatened by mosquito and other insect borne
diseases.Three British people have already caught the Zika virus
after traveling in South America.A Danish tourist returning home from Latin America has been
diagnosed with the virus.Brazil - which is set to host the Olympics this summer - is
the worst-hit nation with around a million feared to be infected.
American Airlines tweeted to one concerned traveler, whose
wife is pregnant, that it is currently refunding tickets to cities in El
Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Guatemala. But some Twitter users lamented
their ruined vacations and their inability to get a refund from tourism
operators.
Stu Privett, an HR systems specialist for the Royal College
of Nursing in London, tweeted about cancelling a trip to Barbados with his
wife, who is in her first trimester. Privett said he was unable to get a refund
from Virgin Holidays.
'They basically said it was our choice not to go on the
holiday,' Privett told Reuters. 'Basically (it's) a case of 'we just lose all
the money we've spent.' A Virgin Holidays spokesperson said the company would
look into the claim. The National Travel Health Network and Centre also urges
rethinks on trips to the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Guadeloupe,
Panama, Guyana, Suriname, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Martinique, French
Guiana, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Barbados, Puerto Rico and
Haiti.
Zika symptoms are similar to flu including fever, joint
pain, rash, headache and muscle pain. However, many people show no signs.
It's only in the past few months there's been evidence to
link infection in pregnancy and birth defects, microcephaly (a small head). Mr Carter urged Brits traveling abroad to affected areas to
cover up and use insect repellent particularly one containing PMD which is
effective against the Aedes Aegypti .mosquito
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