In the USA, there have been about 50 cases of travelers diagnosed with the virus, including three pregnant women.
Advertisement
According to the Centers for Diease Control and Prevention, 35 cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in the continental United States, only two of which were in Appalachia.
Since then, the virus has spread by mosquitoes and has caused infections in Brazil, many Latin America countries, Europe and the U.S.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which has caused outbreaks in at least 26 countries in the Americas.
The Department of Health encourages Florida residents and visitors to protect themselves from all mosquito-borne illnesses by draining standing water, covering skin with repellent and clothing, covering windows with screens. The symptoms are similar to other arbovirus infections such as dengue and include skin rashes, muscle pain, joint pain with possible swelling (notable of the small joints of the hands and feet), headaches, conjunctivitis and malaise.
Researcher and molecular engineering lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast Joanne MacDonald said while Zika had been the subject of research for years, the current link to microcephaly was a “quite scary”.
“The warning is insane and unnecessary”, said Rubio Soares Campos, who co-identified the first case of Zika in Brazil.
Because the virus is spread by mosquitoes, Fulbright says don’t panic.
People can catch the Zika virus after being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito.
There has been an increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly – underdeveloped brains – in Brazil and authorities are trying to determine if there is a connection.
The CDC also said that women who aren’t pregnant, but who are concerned about contracting the virus through sex could consider using condoms during sex or abstaining if their partner has traveled to an area with Zika cases.
Officials in Medellin reported that a man and woman admitted from other areas died in the past week after showing symptoms of Guillain-Barre, which include muscle weakness and paralysis.
Fiocruz, as the foundation is informally known, made the discovery after analyzing samples from two patients and carrying out a partial genome sequencing of the virus, said Paulo Gadelha, president of the foundation.
Advertisement
The WHO on Thursday also advised countries not to accept blood donations from people who had travelled to Zika-affected regions. Guidance for pediatricians treating infants whose mothers may have been infected with Zika virus has not changed.
