The first case of the mosquito-borne Zika virus has been detected in Costa Rica, health officials announced Tuesday.
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“There is not a very clear sense of how to deal with this”, said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue research center in Washington.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health says, “It isn’t as if it’s turning around and dying out, it’s getting worse and worse as the days go by”.
The Zika virus was first discovered in a monkey in Uganda in 1947; its name comes from the Zika forest, where it was first discovered.
The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites.
Transmitted by the aggressive Aedes mosquito, the Zika virus has spread to at least 23 countries and will likely infect tens of millions of people in a few short years.
The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Some reports from Brazil indicate that pregnant women who were exposed to the Zika virus had babies born with microcephaly, or, a smaller than usual head. Brazilian officials have linked the tropical illness to birth defects.
The United States Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic join dozens of other counties where the Zika virus is being transmitted.
However, people should be cautious because the colder winter months is the time of year when more people travel outside of the country to warmer climates where Zika virus can be found. Woman who are pregnant are strongly encouraged to avoid going to countries that have the virus.
Health officials in Puerto Rico have confirmed 18 cases of the Zika virus.
After Ebola and Swine Flu, the new outbreak of Zika Virus is scaring the world.
Many airlines and tourist authorities said they had seen minimal impact. Smart move, says Watkins, adding that you should also be in communication with your doctor as the weather gets warmer.
Worry about the rapid spread of Zika has expanded across the nation, the hemisphere and beyond.
The Zika virus is causing so much concern a number of Latin American and Caribbean countries are warning women not to get pregnant until there is more evidence of a link.
While there is no prevention or treatment for the disease, travelers should take into account that the Zika virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, CNN noted. “Avoid mosquito bites, especially when visiting places known to have these diseases”.
[Travelers shoud] cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants…[u]se EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or IR3535…[and use] permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents).
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Mitigating mosquito breeding grounds, such as standing water, and spraying areas that typically attract mosquitoes, such as wetlands, also helps.
