US health officials say men who have visited an area with the Zika virus should use condoms if they have sex with a pregnant woman – for the entire duration of the pregnancy.
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The DOH has issued a health advisory to local health departments, health care providers and hospitals to further coordinate Zika response efforts in NY.
But a true measure of the outbreak and its implications is impossible until doctors can quickly and reliably identify Zika through serology, a common test of blood contents that measures antibodies triggered in the immune system by a given infection. Until recently, Zika was primarily a tropical disease that is becoming an epidemic in South and Central America.
“That fact that the virus was found with the capacity to cause infection is not proof that it can contaminate other people through those fluids”, said Myrna Bonaldo, one of the scientists who made the discovery.
In a statement posted to its website, Brazil’s health ministry said that two-thirds of the material gathered during recent field work with an American team would be shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The country’s health ministry said the woman travelled to Colombia, was presumably infected during the trip and is in her second trimester of pregnancy.
Governor Scott said, “With over 20 million residents and 100 million tourists, we must stay ahead of the possible spread of the Zika virus and take immediate action to ensure Florida is prepared”.
The Zika virus is linked to brain deformities in babies and is causing concern among public health officials worldwide.
The first case of the virus being transmitted in the United States was reported this week – and the evidence indicates that it was spread to the victim through sexual contact. Pregnant women are at the highest risk because of the danger of birth defects. So far in the USA, there have been confirmed cases of Zika virus in Dallas, Georgia and Florida. Zika has led to reports of microcephaly in infants ad other “poor pregnancy outcomes”, according to the CDC.
Indian drugs company Bharat Biotech, for instance, said it was developing the world’s first Zika vaccine and was ready to test it on animals. A very small number of cases have occurred through sexual transmission.
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If Kentuckians are traveling to areas where the virus is prevalent, they should use insect repellent, wear long sleeve clothes, and avoid going outside when mosquitoes are most active, Humbaugh said.
