Zika virus will 'definitely' spread to Scotland

Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, issued the stark warning ahead of the start of the start of the two day International Zika Summit tomorrow.

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Sridhar, who has worked with a number of UN agencies and Ministries of Health in emerging and developing countries, hailed the gathering of scientists and public health was set up to prevent a repeat of the Ebola crisis.

Sridhar claimed a major problem in responding to the Ebola outbreak had been a failure to share information within the research and public health community, leading to problems with treating the virus and preventing it spreading.

However, Sridhar warned there would be more UK cases of Zika than of Ebola, which saw Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey treated in hospitals in Glasgow and London after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that Zika causes severe birth defects, with the infection suspected of causing thousands of babies to be born with underdeveloped brains.

Latest research also suggests that mapping Zika is more complicated than simply defining where the mosquito carrying the virus can survive.

Sridhar warned Zika would spread to Scotland due to people travelling to countries where the disease exists.

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She said: "I think we'll definitely see cases in Scotland", adding: "Here in Scotland there's not been that much alarm simply because mosquitoes are not a problem here as they are in Miami, Puerto Rico and Brazil.

"There's the sexual transmission of Zika, [so] if you have people travelling to countries where there is Zika then there is also an issue with that.

"Obviously in Scotland we had the Pauline Cafferkey case. So if someone is bitten by a mosquito and travels there is this potential for cases of Zika...We're going to see isolated cases, perhaps one off cases caused by sexual transmission where there has been travel to these countries."

Sridhar warned that Scotland was poorly prepared for potential Zika cases, with a a lack of public health warnings about the virus whose symptoms include mild fever, red, sore eyes, headache, joint pain and rashes.

She added: "It's about following good practices and taking precautions like saying that if you are pregnant don't go to the countries effected by Zika.

"As long as there are diseases they will follow where people move, which is why we need better public health advice. In accident and emergency units we see warning signs notched up for Ebola, but there's nothing for Zika at the moment.

"There needs to be more awareness, with public information making people aware that if they have travelled to Africa or Brazil and they are feeling unwell,they should come forward for help. There's a lot to be done, but because we don't have mosquitoes, it's not seen a huge issue."

Sridhar said the International Zika Summit at the Institut Pasteur Conference Center, in Paris, this week offered a chance of a breakthrough in dealing with the virus, with key areas of discussion including vaccine development.

READ MORE: Scientists may have found chink in Zika virus' armour

She said: "The key thing about Zika is not to make the same mistake as with Ebola, when there was a lot of criticism about the lack of information sharing.

"The research community knows so little about the Zika virus and everyday we are leaning something new."

Meanwhile, Health Protection Scotland (HPS), the agency in charge of health protection in Scotland, commenting on national preparedness for Zika virus, said it was "working with the relevant health protection bodies across the UK to ensure that there is active monitoring of the situation and consistent advice to the public".