He added that the Eliminate Dengue program, which is releasing dengue resistant mosquitoes in Cairns and Townsville, may also help prevent a Zika outbreak in north Queensland.
Advertisement
Zika has been linked to mental defects at birth in thousands of children in Brazil.
A MEDICAL professional on the Fraser Coast has confirmed the type of mosquito which transmits Zika virus is present on the Fraser Coast.
This marks the second lab-confirmed case of the virus in an Alberta native.
A small, dark, hot-weather Aedes aegypti mosquito with white markings and banded legs is responsible for spreading the deadly Zika virus in several countries.
Symptoms surrounding the Zika virus include fever, fatigue and some times a rash, but the health department says 80 percent of people with the virus do not show symptoms at all.
The Zika virus is spread by mosquito bites.
Brazil is deploying more than 200,000 soldiers to battle the Zika virus, which is believed to cause severe birth defects, the health ministry announced Wednesday. No locally transmitted case has been reported in the continental USA, but there have been cases reported in travelers, according to the CDC. United Airlines said customers can get refunds or change their flight without a fee, while American Airlines is offering refunds to pregnant women.
The CDC says local Zika virus transmission has been reported to the Pan American Health Organization from 20 countries or territories in the Region of the Americas, with spread to other countries in the region likely.
“Particularly if there’s a pregnant woman who may have imported the case”.
“Only one in four people infected with Zika virus develops symptoms, but it can sometimes cause serious complications in those who are infected”, he said.
Advertisement
The virus has already been found in 21 countries: Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname and Venezuela.
