First known European case of Zika-infected pregnant woman

The health ministry in Spain said a pregnant woman who had returned from Colombia had been diagnosed with the Zika virus, Europe’s first known case of the mosquito-born virus this week declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation, Guardian reports.

“One of the patients diagnosed in [the northeastern region of] Catalonia is a pregnant woman, who showed symptoms after having travelled to Colombia,” the health ministry announced on Thursday, adding she is one of seven cases in Spain and all are in good condition.

News of the virus, thought to cause birth defects, first emerged in Brazil last year and health authorities have warned the disease could infect up to 4 million people in the Americas and spread worldwide.

The fever starts with a mosquito bite and normally causes little more than a fever and rash.

But since October, Brazil has reported 404 confirmed cases of microcephaly, where the baby’s head is abnormally small – up from 147 in 2014 – plus 3,670 suspected cases.

The timing has fuelled strong suspicions that Zika is causing the birth defect. The virus has also been linked to a potentially paralysing nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome in some patients.

Spain’s health ministry sought to ease concerns, pointing out that all seven patients had caught the disease while abroad.

“Up to now, the diagnosed cases of Zika virus in Spain don’t risk spreading the virus in our country as they are imported cases,” it said.