China confirmed its first imported case of Zika late Tuesday, Xinhua reported, as fears mount over the fast-spreading virus that has been linked to severe birth defects mostly in Latin America.
Officials in China said a 34-year-old man was diagnosed with the virus after he returned from Venezuela on January 28 and reported a fever, headache and dizziness, according to Xinhua news agency citing health officials.
The man, from Ganxian county in the southeast province of Jiangxi, is now recovering with a normal body temperature and fading rash, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission cited on Xinhua.
He had travelled home via Hong Kong and Shenzhen and has been quarantined and treated in a Ganxian hospital since February 6.
The health commission said he posed an
extremely low risk of spreading the virus, the news agency added. The
disease starts with a mosquito bite and normally causes little more than a
fever and rash.
Zika
has however been linked to a surge in the number of children in Latin America
born with microcephaly -- abnormally small heads and brains.
So
far, 26 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, and dozens of Europeans
and North Americans returning from Zika-affected areas have also tested
positive for the virus.
Brazil
has been hardest hit by the outbreak with more than 20,000 cases, including
over 2,000 pregnant women.
Thailand
and Indonesia have reported one case each, but health experts have warned some
Asian nations are vulnerable to a Zika outbreak.
Health
authorities have said Zika could infect up to four million people in Latin
America and spread worldwide.
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