Teenager in Kawasaki returned from Brazil with Zika virus

A male teenager near Tokyo was found to have been infected with Zika virus after a visit to Brazil, Japan’s first case of the infection since the virus started spreading widely in Latin America last year, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The teenager, whose age hasn’t been revealed, was in Brazil for 12 days through Feb 20 on a sightseeing trip with his family, and ran a fever on his last day. He also came out in a rash a few days after his return, but is now in a stable condition without a fever and is resting at home, the ministry said.

“Japan at the moment is not in a season when mosquitoes are active. Risk of infection spreading is extremely low,” the ministry said in a statement.

The boy is the fourth case of Zika virus infection in Japan. Three Japanese were found positive in 2013 and 2014 after returning from French Polynesia and Thailand.

Cc: JT