One person has tested positive in Denmark for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which causes severe birth defects, Danish media reported. The new case comes after Italy, Spain, the UK and Switzerland registered several people infected with the virus.
A Danish tourist contracted the virus while traveling through South and Central America, where Zika is spreading now, Danish media reported. The patient is now being treated at the University hospital in Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city. The Dane arrived at the Department of Infectious Diseases with flu-like symptoms including fever, headache and muscle pain, but later tests revealed that the patient had been infected with the Zika virus.
The Zika virus is contracted through mosquito bites and has been detected in human semen, but cannot be spread by human contact. Its symptoms are mild and include a fever, rash, joint pain and red, itchy eyes. Pregnant women are most at risk, as the virus has been linked to serious birth defects. The disease has gained international attention in recent weeks because of the increase in infected cases.
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