Zika Virus Outbreak News: First Cases Reported In South Australia and Cuba

Cuba and South Australia are joining the ranks of countries and regions reporting the first cases of Zika virus outbreak.

On Wednesday, Cuba reported its first case of Zika diagnosed in a 28-year-old Venezuelan doctor. According to the Independent, the doctor's husband and brother-in-law contracted the virus previously in their home country.

The patient arrived in Cuba along with 37 others on Feb. 21, to take a post-graduate course in medicine. A day later she reported a fever and on Monday was diagnosed with Zika. The Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the patient was recovering well in hospital.

The doctor's brother was diagnosed with Zika two weeks before she traveled and her husband was diagnosed with Zika two months ago, according to the official statement.

In order to contain dengue, another mosquito-borne virus related to Zika, the Cuban government has fumigated homes and neighborhoods for decades. The government ramped up mosquito eradication efforts and put doctors on alert for the Zika virus weeks ago. The first reported case of Zika infection in Cuba will certainly escalate the prevention efforts in the country.

Meanwhile, according to South Australia Health, a 25-year-old man has tested positive to Zika virus. The man acquired the virus overseas. This is the first confirmed case of Zika infection in South Australia this year. However it is the third in the region, after reports in 2012 and 2015, according to ABC News Australia.

The SA Health officials declared that there is no risk to the public in South Australia. Chief medical officer Professor Paddy Phillips explained that the man acquired the virus overseas and the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus is not present in SA. Professor Phillips added that the patient had already recovered from the virus.

Professor Phillips reminded South Australians to wear long-sleeved, loose-fitting shirts and trousers when travelling overseas to countries with Zika virus outbreak or where mosquitoes are an issue.