The CDC has been working with the Brazilian Ministry of Health and WHO since early November to understand the sudden increase in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size, that appears linked to Zika virus infection. He said the disease is spread by mosquitoes and is not transmitted from one person to another. “And I always would like to say stick with the adage ‘better safe than sorry.'” In most cases, in healthy adults Zika causes mild or no symptoms.
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Taylor explained that while mosquitoes are the main source of transmission, the virus could be passed from mother to child.
Meanwhile, Colombian authorities have ordered hospitals to prepare, as the government expects more than 600,000 people to become infected with the virus. Metro Health officials added that the six had traveled to a variety of South American countries, and none of them are pregnant. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The first case was reported in Brazil just last spring. But that doesn’t mean we are experiencing an outbreak of the virus here. All three samples came from people who had recently traveled to countries where the Zika virus is widespread. In the United States, it is a very different situation from the Zika epidemic in Brazil, where there were an estimated 1 million people infected by Zika by the end of 2015.
Laboratory testing for Zika virus infection is available at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For more information on the Zika virus, log onto the CDC’S website and search “Zika virus”.
“If you’re in an affected area, the way to prevent being infected is to avoid mosquitoes by using repellent and staying in air conditioned buildings”.
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The mosquito-borne illness has spread to 22 countries in the Americas, including Brazil. “Because it is not mosquito season in Virginia, this individual with Zika virus infection poses no risk to other Virginians”, said State Health Commissioner Marissa J. Levine, MD, MPH, FAAFP.
