“Babies are being born with Microcephaly, which is under development of the brain or small heads”, said Dr. Keri Hall, an infectious disease specialist from Senatara Martha Jefferson Hospital.
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All 32 confirmed cases in the US were of people infected while traveling in South and Central America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“At this time we don’t have any Zika virus cases here in SC, so the threat is very, very low for any transmission of Zika virus here”, says Dr. Teresa Foo, a DHEC medical consultant in the Immunizations & Acute Disease Epidemiology Divisions. People contract the virus when they are bit by an infected mosquito, and mosquitoes can become infected if they bite a person who has the virus.
No case of Zika has been reported in Morocco, the Health Ministry announced Friday, adding that there is only a small chance that this disease could spread into the country.
Expert on mosquito-borne viruses Dr Cameron Webb spoke to Sky News about the likelihood of an outbreak in Far North Queensland, and said the state is well equipped to deal with the virus.
The CDC is asking pregnant women who have not been vaccinated against the virus to stay away from high-risk zones.
For pregnant women, an infection could be serious and impact the health of their babies. Health officials did not say when they returned to Canada.
The virus’ symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. The possibility that the Zika virus and this condition are linked only emerged in October when Brazil saw a huge upsurge in the number of cases of microcephaly. There could be explosive consequences were the Zika virus transmitted to India. There is now no cure for Zika virus.
There is now no vaccine for the Zika virus and scientists have said it could take years to develop one that is both safe and effective. “We are here, calling them and making sure they are okay”, said Evandro Pelegrini, owner of Gaucho Brazilian BBQ.
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Venezuela authorities have broken their silence on the outbreak of Zika in the country and are pledging to mount a public health campaign to slow the virus’ spread.
