Health authorities in South Korea confirm its sixth Zika infection case. The patient is a 28-year-old woman who recently traveled to the island of Dominica in the Caribbean.
On July 1, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported that the female patient visited the Central American country in June 2014 and returned to South Korea on June 23 via the United States and Taiwan.
On the night of June 30, the female patient tested positive for the Zika virus. She developed common symptoms linked to the mosquito-borne virus infection, which include muscle and joint pains, as well as rashes.
South Korea's fifth Zika case was confirmed just 50 days ago. All of the cases we associated with travel. Among the earlier five cases, three traveled to the Philippines, one to Vietnam and one to Brazil.
The KCDC noted that they are doing a full epidemiological investigation and has confirmed that the sixth Zika patient is not with child.
The agency also advised pregnant women in South Korea to delay or avoid travel plans to Zika-infected countries and regions. KCDC recommended that women delay their plans to conceive following trips from Zika-affected areas for a minimum of two months.
How Is Zika Transmitted?
Zika is mainly transmitted through the bites of infected Aedes albopictus or Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The virus is not similar to cold, which means it does not spread through human contact.
However, there were reports that Zika-infected men can transfer the virus through sexual activities. It is not clear if the same can be said among female patients.
In one case, a lab researcher accidentally infects herself with the virus after getting pricked from a virus-infected needle.
Cure For Zika
In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the nod for utilization of the world's first Zika vaccine in a human clinical trial. The phase 1 trial is expected to start in the next few weeks. The goal is to analyze how well human participants can tolerate the vaccine. The researchers will also study the vaccine's level of safety.
Currently, there is no cure for Zika infection. The best way to prevent getting infected to avoid the mosquito vectors at all costs.
"People usually don't get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected," said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The common symptoms of Zika infection include conjunctivitis (red eyes), rash, fever, joint and / or muscle pains and headache.
Photo: Sébastien Bertrand | Flickr
