The government has reported its first confirmed case of the Zika virus in a 67-year old male in Chittagong.
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Malik made the disclosure at a press briefing at his office in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The minister, however, did not disclose the identity of the Zika virus victim.
“In 2014, the blood samples of some 1,000 people afflicted with fever were collected and tested in a laboratory. Later the Zika virus was found in the blood of a 67-year old male among them,” said Zahid.
The Zika virus-infected man, who resides in Chittagong, is now well, he added.
“There is no cause for worry about the Zika virus-infected man, as he is no longer a danger.”
World Health Organisation (WHO) on February 1 declared the Zika virus outbreak to be a global public health emergency, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly.
