Taiwan reports 1st imported Zika infection involving local resident

TAIPEI - A 43-year-old woman from Taiwan who spent five months in the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia with her husband and returned to Taiwan on July 24 was confirmed to have been infected with the Zika virus, Taiwan's center for disease control said Thursday.

It is the fourth imported case of the Zika virus infection reported by the island and the first confirmed case involving a local resident, according to the center. The three previous cases involved people from Thailand and Indonesia.

The woman saw a doctor for symptoms, including nausea and fever on July 26, and consulted a doctor again three days later after a red rash developed on her face and limbs.

Test results released on August 3 showed she had been infected with the virus, the center said, adding that her condition has improved.

Lab tests revealed that the gene of the virus that the woman contracted is similar to the one that has been found in Martinique, Panama and Colombia.