Zika virus not threatens Georgia

/By Azernews/

By Laman Ismayilova

Zika virus, outbreak of which was reported in Brazil in May 2015, not threatens Georgia.

Director of the National Center for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze announced about this while talking to RIA Novosti, adding that however Georgia takes measures to prevent the penetration of the virus into the country.

"There is no threat of Zika virus spread in Georgia. The government takes disinfection measures to prevent the spread of the Zika virus and its impact. We have the opportunity to diagnose the virus. No Zika infection case was reported in Georgia so far. Speaking about the treatment, there is no vaccine for Zika, although a race to develop one is underway", said Gamkrelidze.

Zika virus is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. For the first time a mosquito-borne virus was discovered in the 1940s in rhesus monkeys in Uganda.

Some studies suggest that the virus can be transmitted to humans through blood transfusion and sexual transmission. The virus`s symptoms include mild fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache.

Infants are most at risk from the Zika virus, as mothers can pass the virus. A mosquito-borne disease has been a source of public anxiety since November when the Brazilian officials reported about an incidence of a birth defect called microcephaly due to this virus.

Many countries have warned pregnant women to take extra precautions against the virus. Cases of Zika virus are also observed in some European countries, including Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. The virus was most recently detected in Russia.