In the USA 54 people have been infected with the Zika virus, but health officials say all but one of those cases were acquired while out of the country.
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The disease, which is carried by the same mosquito that produced dengue fever and chikungunya, is particularly unsafe pregnant women and is believed linked to microcephaly – a congenital condition that is characterized by newborns with unusually small heads and incomplete brain development.
Pregnant women have been advised to avoid visiting countries where there have been confirmed cases of the Zika Virus.
The Zika virus causing worldwide alarm gives central San Joaquin Valley mosquito-abatement leaders new reason to fret about efforts to control the pests. Zika is spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, which can breed in a pool of water as small as a bottle cap and usually bite during the day.
Aedes mosquito is the vector responsible for a the Zika virus.Zika is a mosquito-borne infection caused by Zika virus.
In an interview on CBS Monday morning, President Obama said, “What we now know is that there appears to be some significant risk for pregnant women and women who are thinking about having a baby”.
Myrna Bonaldo, the main scientists of the research team, said that they were shocked to find Zika virus in urine samples as they were not expecting the virus to thrive in acidic medium.
The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is not clear, but is likely to be a few days. Agencies investigating the Zika outbreaks are finding increasing evidence linking Zika virus and microcephaly.
Brazil is grappling with the virus even as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August, with tens of thousands of athletes and tourists anticipated. “The International Food and Drug Organization has not approved any vaccines despite the fact that many pharmaceutical companies are competing in research to develop the vaccine”, said Khoujah.
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As for where the money is going to come from, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Congress will “have to work out” how to pay for the funding.
