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Quebec confirms first case of Quebecer who contracted Zika virus

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Quebec public health authorities on Friday confirmed the first case of a Quebecer who contracted the Zika virus during travels abroad.

“In Quebec, there has been one laboratory-confirmed case in a person who travelled outside the country,” Dr. Horacio Arruda, director of the province’s Public Health Department, said in a statement.

“Although it is currently not a disease that must be reported, the Ministry of Health and Social Services remains attentive to the evolution of the situation in Quebec in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.”

Citing patient confidentiality, Arruda declined to provide more details about the individual other than to say that the person has fully recovered.

On Thursday, Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, warned that the Zika virus — which has been linked to abnormally small heads and damaged brains in newborns — is “now spreading explosively” in the Americas (notably Brazil) and “the level of alarm is extremely high.”

On Wednesday, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott reported that two British Columbians contracted the virus — one who had travelled to El Salvador and the other who had been in Colombia. Alberta has also reported a case of an individual who contracted the virus abroad.

Philpott emphasized that there have been no locally transmitted cases of Zika in Canada.

Arruda noted that the Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, and given that Quebec is in the midst of winter, such insects are not present. What’s more, there has been no evidence of mosquitoes in Quebec carrying the virus last summer.

“Quebecers who travel to countries where the virus and mosquitoes are present may be exposed and develop symptoms of infection when they return home,” Arruda explained. “However, a large majority of people who contract the virus are asymptomatic, and in the case where a person feels symptoms, they are usually mild.”

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However, Arruda added, “this virus may cause serious complications in babies carried by an infected mother during pregnancy. Pregnant women, as well as women who wish to become pregnant and who are planning to travel to areas where the virus is circulating, should discuss their plans with a health professional.”

Health Canada, for its part, is urging pregnant travellers to avoid Zika-prone areas. Canadian Blood Services may ban blood donations from people who have travelled to countries where the infections are endemic. The agency has not yet decided which areas would be affected by a temporary ban.

aderfel@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Aaron_Derfel


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