6th case of Zika virus confirmed in S. Korea

SEOUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The sixth case of Zika virus infection in South Korea has been found in a 28-year-old woman who recently came back from Dominica, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Friday.

The woman, who had stayed in the Central American country from June 2014, came back to South Korea on June 23 via the United States and China's Taiwan, according to the KCDC.

She was confirmed positive with the mosquito-borne virus last night after developing a rash, and joint and muscle pains from Monday.

It marked the sixth case of the country's Zika virus infection since the fifth one was detected some 50 days ago. Among the total, one came from Brazil, one from Vietnam, one from Dominica and three from the Philippines.

The KCDC said the sixth patient is not pregnant, noting that it has been conducting an in-depth epidemiological investigation.

Zika is a virus that is primarily spread by mosquito bites, particularly risky for pregnant women as it is thought to be linked to a rare birth defect - microcephaly that causes newborn babies to have unusually small heads and damaged brains.

The Zika virus is believed not to be spread by ordinary touches between humans, but it can be transmitted through sex and blood transfusion. Cases of sexual transmission from travelers to their sexual partners had been reported from the United States and Europe.

The KCDC has advised pregnant women not to travel to Zika-infected countries, while recommending fertile women delay pregnancy for at least two months after returning from such nations.

Zika was first found in Africa and spread to Asia and Latin America.

Ahead of the Brazil Summer Olympics, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus outbreak a global emergency.