The Iowa Department of Public Health announced an Iowa woman has tested positive for the Zika virus.
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The CDC’s Schuchat said the U.S. government is “very concerned” about a surge of the mosquito-borne virus in the U.S. Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico when the weather warms up in mid-year, and “extremely concerned” about the impact Zika can have on Haiti, where dengue is endemic. The country has already been found to have ongoing transmission of the virus, and health officials said they expect another half a million Zika cases in the next few months.
The province says the risk to Ontarians remains “very low” as mosquitos known to transmit the virus are not established in Canada and not suited to this country’s climate.
Lead scientist, Dr Ana de Filippis, from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said: “This study reports details of the Zika virus being identified directly in the amniotic fluid of a woman during her pregnancy, suggesting the virus could cross the placental barrier and potentially infect the foetus”.
As many as 4,400 babies in Brazil have been born with microcephaly, in which babies have abnormally small heads and brains, to women who may have been bitten by mosquitoes carrying the virus.
Zika’s immediate effects are mild, consisting mostly of a moderate fever and a rash, and only a fifth of those afflicted notice any symptoms. While the ultimate goal is a vaccine, there is a lot of work to be done and shared on how the virus operates, he said.
Zika is believed to the cause of two neurological disorder: microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome that can cause paralysis.
Brazil said it has confirmed more than 500 cases, and considers most to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
While the Zika virus is usually transmitted through mosquito bites, it can also be passed sexually or transmitted by way of a blood transfusion.
“Until we understand the biological mechanism linking Zika to microcephaly we can not be certain that one causes the other, and further research is urgently needed”.
North Carolina has confirmed its first case of the Zika Virus within the state.
Williams said the province has taken steps to ensure healthcare workers are prepared in the event that a traveller returned to Ontario who is suspected of carrying the virus.
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The World Health Organization today issued its strategic response framework and joint operations and research plan, which lays out a strategy until June, to investigate and respond to the medical complications linked to the spreading Zika virus. They also are recommending that women who are trying to become pregnant talk to their doctors before traveling to such places.
