Four cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Britain
Ana Beatriz, a baby girl with microcephaly in Brazil EPA/Percio Campos
Four cases of the ‘brain shrinking’ Zika virus have been confirmed in Britain, health officials said.
Public Health England said that the four cases of the virus – feared to cause deformities and brain damage in unborn babies – had been identified in the past six weeks.
A Westminster committee was told that the four cases were ‘travel associated’ – and that none were believed to have been contracted in the UK.
The mosquito-borne disease linked to birth defects in babies is expected to affect up to 4million people, according to the World Health Organization.
In the past year Brazil has reported 3,893 cases of microcephaly – a condition which sees infants born with abnormally small heads.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Women in countries with an outbreak have been warned to avoid becoming pregnant – and pregnant women are advised to avoid travelling to infected areas.
There is currently no vaccine for Zika, and treatment focuses on pain relief and managing the symptoms.