Teenager feared to have Zika virus after Tonga holiday ^Featured

Auckland Jen Byrn, 18, now faces a harrowing wait for test results after doctors said her symptoms could be the Zika infection. "I was overwhelmed because it was so unexpected," she said. 

If she had known about the virus, she would have gone to the doctors sooner even though they can't do anything about it. 

Noel Byrn, Jen's mother said when she got back from holiday she was complaining of feeling sick. Jen became unwell on the fourth day of her holiday but put it down to the tropical weather and did not think anything of it.

Noel said Jen had always been susceptible to mosquito bites. She had at least 20 bites on each leg when she potentially contracted the virus.

She only decided to join her two friends on their week-long trip to Tonga the day before they flew out on January 22.
Ad Feedback

Jen broke out in a red spotty rash the day after she got home and when Noel called health officials, the symptoms were worse than originally feared.

"It started on her tummy and I said to her 'Jen you've got a rash on her tummy' and then by that night it was from her neck down to her toes and under her feet," Noel said.

The worst part of it was her sore eyes - she could only look straight ahead not sideways, up or down. She also had headaches and red swollen fingers.

Public health officials told her to seek urgent medical attention and sent blood samples to Australia for testing.

"I had never heard of Zika before, there were no health warnings in Tonga or New Zealand before we left and I think the news of the virus outbreak in Brazil only came out while we were in Tonga, so no one really knew about it," Jen said.

"'I'll get the results back this week and doctors said I'll still have slight symptoms for another week until I start to feel better."

Noel said Jen didn't use any insect repellent while she was in Tonga.

"I would say just to make sure you use insect repellent and lather it on," she said. "Had she of used insect repellent she probably would have avoided it."

The Zika outbreak has been declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organisation.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health said there have been 10 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in New Zealand this year. All 10 of thoses cases involved people who had recently been in the countries where the outbreak has been occurring, she said.

The mosquitoes which transmit the virus are not usually found in New Zealand.

Dr Stewart Jessamine, acting director of public health, said there are mosquito surveillance programmes in place at airports and sea ports to detect any "exotic mosquitoes of public health significance".

Jen, a former Epsom Girls Grammar student, said she was starting a psychology, education and criminology degree at Victoria University this year.

Stuff.co.nz