A 34-year-old man in China, who had recently travelled to Venezuela, has tested positive for the Zika virus, Xinhua news agency cited reported on Wednesday. Authorities from China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission confirmed the case. The man from Ganxian county in the eastern province of Jiangxi has been quarantined in a hospital in his hometown since February 6 and is recovering. Doctors said his rash is fading and his body temperature is coming down.

With the number of Zika virus cases on the rise, the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency on February 1. This alarm stems from the possible link the virus has with the increasing number of cases of microcephaly, a birth defect that can cause developmental issues and is characterised by an abnormally small head. The virus, started spreading out of Brazil, has spread through most of the Americas. Most infected people showed no symptoms or indicated only mild ones, including fever and skin rashes.