OR health officials say the case involves a woman who fell ill after visiting a Zika-affected country.
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To protect women of child-bearing age in Zika-stricken countries, a vaccine will be important because the virus “is a flash infection”, disappearing from the mother’s bloodstream in days, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. “There have been no reported cases of Zika virus disease transmission through mosquito bites anywhere in the continental U.S”. “Usually viruses only stay in the blood for about a week, but for precaution, we would recommend waiting at least a month before having sexual intercourse if infected”.
The department says the cases are among more than three dozen in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
Dr. Fatma Levent, associate professor at HSC, said women who are pregnant or who are trying to become pregnant should avoid traveling to areas where Zika is now in outbreak, because it causes a birth defect called microcephaly. But for those who are pregnant, the impact on an unborn child can be devastating. Microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age, is now linked to the virus. Pregnant women are advised not to visit pandemic areas.
At this time, the CDC states, there is no evidence that women can transmit Zika virus to their sex partners.
Scientists have suspected that Zika could be transmitted sexually, and there have been scattered reports of similar occurrences in recent years. What is it Zika is a mosquito borne virus.
The California Department of Public Health has reported six travel-associated cases of Zika in California since 2013, including two in 2015, as of February 5.
The Zika virus may be associated with another birth defect in infants, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology. Symptoms are treated with plenty of rest, fluids and medicine to relieve fever and pain. Severe complications from the virus that require hospitalization are rare, according to the CDC.
Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
If you develop symptoms within two weeks of visiting a Zika-affected country, contact your health care provider.
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The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947, and until past year was not thought to pose serious health risks.
