Us researchers contracts zika virus during experiments

A United States laboratory researcher was
back at work after contrtacting the Zika virus
by pricking herself with a needle during an
experiment last month, broadcaster ABC
News said on Thursday.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika,
which is a close cousin of diseases such as
dengue and chikungunya, and causes mild
fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80
percent of those infected have no symptoms.
The unidentified researcher at the University
of Pittsburgh pricked herself on May 23 and
showed symptoms on June 1, returning to
work five days later when she no longer had
a fever, ABC News said, citing a statement
from the school.
School officials were not immediately
available for comment.
The incident was the fourth confirmed case
of the Zika virus in Allegheny County, its
health department said, without giving
details of the accident.
"Despite this rare incident, there is still no
current risk of contracting Zika from
mosquitos in Allegheny County, " department
director Karen Hacker said in a statement.
U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika
infections in pregnant women can cause
microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small
head size that can lead to severe
developmental problems in babies.
The World Health Organization has said
there is strong scientific consensus that Zika
can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare
neurological syndrome that causes temporary
paralysis in adults.
The connection between Zika and
microcephaly first came to light last fall in
Brazil, which has now confirmed more than
1,400 cases of microcephaly that it considers
to be related to Zika infections in the
mothers.