European first as Spain confirms case of Zika virus in pregnant woman

A pregnant woman in Spain who had travelled to Colombia has the Zika virus - in what is thought to be the first such case in Europe. The woman, from Catalunya, was having clinical tests but she was described as being in good health and has not been admitted to hospital. She was among seven cases of Zika in Spain, said health officials. They stressed that “the diagnosed cases of Zika virus in Spain… don’t risk spreading the virus in our country as they are imported cases”. The disease, linked to deformities in babies, was previously thought to have been passed by mosquitos. But this week came the news a patient in Dallas caught the virus after having sex with someone who had returned from Venezuela. Meanwhile, in Brazil, a patient has caught the virus after a blood tranfusion from a donor who had been infected with Zika.

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