A number of people in Scotland have been diagnosed as having the Zika virus, it has been confirmed.
The
Scottish Government stressed that the disease, which has sparked a
major health alert in South America, "does not pose a public health
risk" in Scotland, but said that an undisclosed number of cases had been
found.
More than 50 people across the UK have been treated
for the infection, which is associated with a birth defect called
microcephaly, which results in children being born with abnormally small
heads and brain damage.
Fear of the virus has led a number of competitors to opt out of this
year's Olympic Games in Brazil, including top British golfer Rory
McIlroy.
While pregnant women are being advised to postpone
non-essential travel to disease hotspots, the NHS stresses that for
"most people it is a very mild infection and isn't harmful".
A
Scottish Government spokesman said: "We can assure the public that Zika
does not pose a public health risk in Scotland, and of the cases
identified in the UK a very small number have been found in Scotland.
"The
mosquito that spreads the virus is not found in the UK, and in any case
would not be able to establish in Scotland because of our climate. Zika
cannot be spread through person-to-person or airborne contact."
He
added: "We have already informed the at-risk groups about the risks and
how to protect themselves through Health Protection Scotland's travel
advice. We continue to closely monitor developments in our understanding
of the Zika virus as treatments and testing regimes develop."
Since the Zika epidemic began in 2015, nearly 5,000 cases of microcephaly have been recorded in affected regions.
On
February 1 this year the World Health Organisation declared the
epidemic an international public health emergency. Worldwide concern has
centred on north-east Brazil but more than 20 other countries have now
been affected.
So far more than 1,650 Zika infections have
been reported in the US - four patients in Florida who have tested
positive for the virus appear to be the first cases not linked to travel
outside the US mainland.
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