Three new cases of zika virus in Belgium

The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp has reported three new cases of the zika virus in Belgium. One of the cases is classified as “probable” while the other two are “certain”.

About 20 people every week who have recently returned from South America, Central America or the Caribbean are asking to be tested since the disease has become the focus of media attention. The virus is spread by a mosquito and can cause a fever, which is usually mild but can cause birth defects if pregnant women are infected.

The consequences range from miscarriage or stillbirth to microcephaly, where the infant is born with a small or incomplete skull, or Guillain-Barre syndrome, an auto-immune disease that attacks the nervous system.

Most cases of infection produce no symptoms, and testing is done for antibodies, which remain in the blood longer than the virus itself. One other case was discovered in Belgium at the end of last year.