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Zika virus

Colombia: 3 dead from Zika-linked Guillain-Barre syndrome

Katharine Lackey
USA TODAY
A health worker walks away from the home of Maria Cardenas, left, who was diagnosed with Zika, after he sprayed insecticide to kill mosquitoes on her property in Acacias, Colombia, on Feb. 4, 2016.

Three people infected with the Zika virus in Colombia died from the rare Guillain-Barre syndrome, Colombian health officials said Friday.

The deaths confirm the Zika virus can be deadly, National Health Institute Director Martha Lucia Ospina said. Experts aren't sure Zika can activate the syndrome, which can be caused by other infections and conditions.

Doctors have previously linked Zika to cases of Guillain-Barre, a rare disorder that can cause temporary paralysis as the body's immune system attacks the nervous system.

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The mosquito-borne Zika virus is causing international concern because of its link to microcephaly, a rare birth defect in which babies are born with unusually small heads and incomplete brain development.

Four out of five people infected by Zika have no symptoms. Those who do usually have mild symptoms lasting two to seven days, such as fever, rash, headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, lack of energy, weakness and pink eye.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak — which spread to least 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean — a "public health emergency of international concern."

Colombia has reported more than 20,000 cases of the virus, the Associated Press reported.

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