B.C. resident diagnosed with Zika virus after returning from El Salvador

VANCOUVER – The Public Health Agency of Canada says a B.C. resident who recently travelled to El Salvador has contracted a dengue-like virus transmitted through mosquito bites.

The agency says mosquitoes known to spread Zika virus are not present in Canada and that only one in four people infected with the virus are believed to develop symptoms.

Those symptoms last only a few days and include a slight fever and rash, muscle aches, headache and pain behind the eyes.

The agency says there’s no treatment for the virus, which has been reported in Africa and parts of Asia since the 1950s, the southwestern Pacific Ocean since 2007 and emerged last year in South America.

There have been no reported cases of Zika virus acquired in Canada.

The World Health Organization says prevention includes reducing the breeding of mosquitoes and using barriers such as repellents and insect screens to minimize contact with people.