Woman tests positive for Zika virus at Chicago North Side hospital

Mexico has confirmed 11 pregnant women are infected with the Zika virus, out of a total of 121 cases, the government said on Monday.

A woman in her 30s, who recently returned from Colombia, visited Presence Saint Joseph Hospital in Lakeview in January with flulike symptoms. She was not hospitalized and is recovering without complications, according to city health officials.

The CDC recommends pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing.

There have been dozens of cases reported across the USA but this is the first case in Chicago and the fifth known case in IL.

The virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito, which is common in tropical areas of the Americas.

A Guangdong man visiting home from Venezuela was in a stable condition in hospital after being confirmed to be carrying the mosquito-borne Zika virus the ninth imported case for China. “And at no time was anyone in our hospital, the physician’s office or those who have had casual contact with the patient at any risk of contracting the Zika virus”.

In most cases, Zika virus causes mild symptoms, or none at all, but it has become a concern due to a possible link to birth defects.

Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside. Health officials expect the number of Zika infections to rise after students take warm-weather vacations on spring break. Within two weeks of exposure, one in five infected persons will develop fever, rash, conjunctivitis (red eyes) and joint aches that usually resolve within a week.