Yunnan reports first case of imported Zika virus

Kunming customs in southwest China's Yunnan Province had detected the province's first case of imported Zika virus in a traveler returning from abroad, local health authorities said Friday.

After treatment and quarantine, the patient has been discharged from hospital, according to the provincial health commission.

Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, can cause symptoms including fever, rashes and arthralgia, and in rare cases it can be lethal. It has also been linked to brain abnormalities in unborn babies and the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The General Administration of Customs has urged people to protect themselves from Zika when traveling abroad and called for voluntary reports if travelers begin experiencing typical symptoms of the virus.

China reported a total of 26 cases of imported Zika virus in 2016 and 2017.