Twelve people, including five pregnant women, test positive for Zika virus in Norway

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) said Wednesday 12 people, including five pregnant women, have tested positive for the Zika virus in Norway since screening began in February, local media reported.

A total of 222 people, including 142 women and 80 men, were tested in the NIPH during the period from Feb. 25 to April 11 this year, Norwegian newspaper VG said.

Two of the 222 tested individuals had results suggesting an acute Zika virus infection. They had symptoms of mild illness and were diagnosed with the virus in the blood.

Ten others, five of them pregnant women, have been found to have Zika antibodies in their blood, according to the NIPH.

The NIPH advises pregnant women not to travel to areas affected by the Zika virus and it is also recommended that pregnant women who have stayed in affected areas followed up by the regional fetal medicine centers after their return to Norway regardless of symptoms or not, the institute said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency in early February amid a Zika outbreak in Central and South America.

Symptoms of Zika include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle pain. It is also a suspected cause of microcephaly in new-born babies. Enditem