A Thai man travelling to Taiwan for work has been confirmed to be infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The 24-year-old man, who has been living in northern Thailand and was coming to Taiwan to work, is Taiwan’s first case of the virus, Focus Taiwan reported.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said the unnamed man was detected as having a fever when he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Jan. 10, and has now been admitted to a local hospital for observation.
The US-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said it was the first case of the Zika virus detected in Taiwan since the agency started monitoring for the infection.
Zika infographic by Pan American Health Organization
Other cases were reported in late 2015 in southeast Asia including Thailand and in Central and South America.
The CDC has issued a “watch” advisory for Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Maldives, and an “alert” advisory for Central and South America and the Carribean.
Symptoms of the Zika virus includes fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. They usually last from several days to a week, and hospitalization is rarely needed.
There is no vaccine to prevent the virus, or any known treatment.
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