Two pregnant Illinois residents who recently traveled to countries where Zika virus is found have tested positive for the virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
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Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that is similar to dengue both in form (both are flaviviruses) and in symptoms, which can include rashes, fever, headaches, pain behind the eyes, and joint pain.
The virus has stayed under the radar because symptoms are usually mild, but now it’s possibly linked to a serious birth defect called microcephaly.
And women whose developing babies look like they may have smaller-than-normal heads or brains and who traveled in affected regions should also be tested, CDC said.
“Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite both indoors and outdoors, mostly during the daytime; therefore, it is important to ensure protection from mosquitoes throughout the entire day”, CDC noted. The CDC has issued an alert asking women at any stage of pregnancy to postpone travel to 14 destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Health officials in Jamaica have advised women to delay pregnancy for six to 12 months while in Brazil officials have been telling women to consider not falling pregnant until more is known about the dangers to newborns. Genetic sequence analysis showed that the virus in the four cases was the same as the Zika virus strain now circulating in Brazil.
“We encourage Florida residents and visitors to protect themselves from all mosquito-borne illnesses by draining standing water; covering their skin with repellent and clothing; covering windows with screens; and other basic precautions included in ‘drain and cover”, the Health Department said. Between October 2015 and January 2016, there were more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly in Brazil – a significant increase from the average of about 150 cases per year.
Health officials say a baby born in a Hawaii hospital is the first in the United States born with Zika virus. “Even if there isn’t a documented case of Zika there, I don’t want to be the first”, she said.
The CDC has provided a list steps to avoid mosquito bites, specifically for travelers.
Since there is neither vaccine nor antiviral treatment for Zika, the CDC recommends anyone with symptoms focus on relieving those symptoms.
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Yesterday, the Brazilian city of Piracicaba said it would expand the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Aedes aegypti, the species that spreads dengue and chikungunya as well as the Zika virus.
