ZIKA virus cases in Veneto

Three cases of the ZIKA virus have been identified in Veneto since the beginning of the year

 ROME -- Three cases of the ZIKA virus have been identified in Veneto in people returning home from travels in countries where the infection is widespread, namely South America and the Caribbean, local authorities said.

 Luca Coletto, a councillor from the local health department, assured that "there is no cause for alarm as ZIKA has been monitored in Veneto since 2010, along with Chijkungunya and Dengue, in humans as well as in mosquitoes, so if necessary we are ready to cure it efficiently."

 The three cases were identified in Treviso, Padova and Vicenza, among them a Venezuelan woman returning to Italy from her country of origin who has already been cured and dismissed from Treviso hospital. The other two were presumed tourists returning home from holidays to San Domingo and Martinique. Both are being treated in hospital and are reported to be in a non-critical condition.

 Coletto commented that "precautions, such as informing oneself long before departing on travels in high-risk areas,are necessary and are clearly stated in the document issued on 23 December 2015 by the European Committee for Health Security which focuses particularly on travellers, pregnant women and young children."

 The Italian health minister Beatrice Lorenzin, after the first two cases of the virus being spread through blood transfusions were reported in Brazil, said that, "In Italy we have increased the level of control and monitoring in the sector of blood transfusions, as we always do during times when there are new epidemics with new risk factors. We have a system of alert and surveillance that is already activated.

 The National Blood Centre has ordered that all those who have travelled in countries in which the ZIKA virus is present must wait 28 days before donating blood.

 The first ever confirmed case of the ZIKA virus was in May 2015 in Brazil, after which an alert was issued by the Pam American Health Organisation. The outbreak led to reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes.

 The virus is spread through mosquito bites and the most common symptoms include a fever, rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis, usually lasting from several days to a week.

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