Belize detects first Zika case in pregnant woman

Belize's government said Wednesday it has detected the first case of Zika in a pregnant woman, bringing to two the number of people confirmed infected with the virus in the Central American country.

The health ministry was also investigating another suspected case involving a , with tests underway, a statement said.

The government last week announced Belize's first Zika patient, living in the capital Belize City.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus can cause the microcephaly, which can cause babies to be born with unusually small heads and deformed brains.

Fifty-one warm-weather countries and territories around the world have reported Zika transmission to some degree, according to a regularly updated online list maintained by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Most of them are in Latin America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific.

© 2016 AFP

Citation: Belize detects first Zika case in pregnant woman (2016, May 26) retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-05-belize-zika-case-pregnant-woman.html
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First case of Zika reported in Belize

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