Zika infects 4 Canadians Four Canadians have been infected with the Zika virus from traveling to affected countries, government health officials said on Friday, one more than Health Minister Jane Philpott reported aday earlier. Symptoms include mild fever, skin rashes and conjunctivitis, all of which could last for two to seven days.
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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.
Loren Robinson, deputy secretary for health promotion and disease prevention at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said pregnant women should take caution when planning a vacation. Doctors can face fines of up to 2 million won (S$2,355) for failing to report patients infected or showing symptoms of infection.
Brazillian health workers fumigate in an attempt to eradicate the mosquito which transmits the Zika virus.
The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites. There is no proven vaccine or treatment.
“China has made huge progress in technologies and acts more swiftly in response to any outbreak of infectious disease 12 years after the SARS outbreak”, He said.
The CDC has said that Zika is not expected to pose as much of a threat to the U.S.as it has to Brazil and other countries in the region.
The Zika virus is spread through the Aedes aegypti mosquito – responsible for dengue, yellow fever and other tropical diseases.
Virologists say there is now no cure for or vaccine against Zika and developing such a vaccine will surely take a long time. It hasn’t been confirmed, but there appears to be a link between the Zika virus and children born with microcephaly, an abnormally small head and underdeveloped brain.
Health authorities are urging pregnant women to reconsider any travel to outbreak-affected areas until researchers have a better understanding of the virus.
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The American Red Cross says the chances of them receiving contaminated blood in the continental U.S are low but they are taking these precautions.
