There are about 474 cases of Zika in Puerto Rico that have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the HHS release. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes).
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Though the first cases occurred in the impoverished northeast, it is now the rich, well populated and developed southeast that has had the most Zika infections, with 35,505 cases reported compared with 30,286 in the northeast.
The infections bring the total confirmed cases in the state since January to four, she said.
According to health officials, pregnant women are the biggest concern when it comes to this virus.
Department spokesman Meg Mirivel said one of the Arkansas residents had traveled to central/south America, while the other contracted the virus during a trip to the Pacific islands. The virus is spread through mosquito bites.
USA health officials concluded this month that the virus, spreading rapidly in the Americas, was a cause of microcephaly, a rare birth defect defined by unusually small head size that can hamper development. It has since spread across Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Zika virus is a relatively new disease for the Western hemisphere.
The Pat Walker Health Center advises that people use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers, use air conditioning and/or screens and empty standing water inside and outside of homes, according to the Pat Walker forum update. Zika virus infection during pregnancy has also been linked to pregnancy loss and other adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Services provided include: prenatal care to over 3,300 pregnant women; delivery of more than 2,000 babies; and contraceptive services to more than 16,600 people annually.
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The mosquito that carries the virus, Aedes aegypti, is found in 30 states, and health officials worry that as temperatures warm, the virus will move north from countries including Brazil and cause locally transmitted cases.
