Health officials are asking Pennsylvanians to pay attention to travel advisories as they test six to eight people for the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The rapid spread of the virus has prompted governments across the world to issue a warning to pregnant women against travelling to the areas where it has been detected.
Advertisement
New Zealand health officials say this country has very good border protection against insects and is taking a precautionary stance, as world health authorities warn of a global Zika virus emergency.
Health Minister J P Nadda held a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation in view of the recent cases of Zika virus being reported from some countries.
No Zika virus cases have been seen on the Chinese mainland, but the country does face a risk that the virus could be imported from other countries and regions, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
He said that estimate was based on the previous spread of dengue fever, which is also carried by the same mosquito species.
Only one of the four cases is likely to develop symptoms, such as low-grade fever, joint pain, red eyes, rash, muscle pain, physical weakness, lethargy and headaches, which may last from two to seven days.
Health Canada also says the best way to avoid the virus is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito.
Colombia announced Saturday that more than 2,000 pregnant women in the South American country have been infected with the Zika virus, which is suspected of causing brain damage in newborns.
“These endemic cases, combined with previous infection reported in travellers, provide evidence that (Zika) is widespread throughout Thailand”, said the report. “However, a large majority of people who contract the virus are asymptomatic, and in the case where a person feels symptoms, they are usually mild”.
Advertisement
Microcephaly can cause babies to be born with abnormally smaller heads and brains. (It was traced to the Zika forest, hence the name.) Until previous year, the Zika virus was mostly confined to Asia and Africa, but then it made the leap to the Western hemisphere. “But this is not something that happens to every woman and every pregnant woman, and to date it has not happened in the United States”, he said.
