HALIFAX — Nova Scotia is reporting its first confirmed case of Zika virus, prompting public health officers to urge residents to take precautions when travelling abroad.
Frank Atherton, deputy chief medical officer of health, said Monday the woman infected with the virus is in her 30s and the illness was detected after she fell ill upon her return to Nova Scotia from a trip.
He says she's fully recovered, but added its presence is a reminder that people travelling to regions where the virus is flourishing should take steps to avoid mosquito bites.
The mosquito-borne Zika virus is an epidemic in Central and Latin America, and the World Health Organization has declared it a global health emergency.
It causes mild illness or no symptoms in most people but is believed to be linked to a birth defect that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads. It's also potentially linked to neurological disorders in some infected children and adults.
"People who do travel to countries being affected by Zika outbreak can protect themselves by covering up and by avoiding mosquito bites," said Atherton.
"It's that subset of women who are pregnant and who are thinking of becoming pregnant that we need to take special precautions for."
Atherton said the public health office has sent out emails to doctors around the province outlining a protocol for when tests should be conducted and sent to a federal laboratory for analysis.
A Health Canada website says that as of May 12 there were 80 travel-related cases of Zika and one locally acquired case through sexual transmission.
The agency says the risk in Canada is very low because mosquitoes known to transmit the virus aren't established here and aren't well suited to the northern climate.
Atherton declined to comment on where or how the woman acquired the virus, but said she wasn't hospitalized and has since fully recovered.
