MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement Monday that the first case of Zika virus was registered in the country.
"Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing informs about the fact that the first case of Zika fever registered in the Russian Federation," the statement said.
The infected woman, who had been visiting the Dominican Republic is in the infectious diseases hospital at the moment, the statement added.
The Zika virus affects primarily monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. Zika does not cause serious complications in adults, but it is suspected of leading to severe brain defects in newborns.