“The Zika virus is transferred by mosquitoes that are not indigenous to the Mahoning valley, actually to OH”, said Mahoning County Health Commissioner Patricia Sweeney.
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“Men who either live in or travel to active Zika transmission area and who have a pregnant sex partner should either correctly use condoms during sex or abstain from sex during the rest of the pregnancy”, urged Frieden.
Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week but it can be found longer in some people.
“Because it’s new and so severe, it’s scary, especially for women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy”, said Frieden. The infection has spread from north-eastern Brazil to 24 other countries in the Americas, with one case in the US.
The CDC is now expanding testing to all pregnant women who were in the designated countries where Zika is spreading.
Frieden also said there is a growing body of evidence linking the Zika virus to the microcephaly birth defect, although all cases of the birth defect have been reported in Brazil or a woman who went to Brazil before giving birth in Hawaii.
– Four more people in Dallas County are being tested for the risky Zika virus. In another case, Zika was found in semen at least two weeks and possibly up to 10 weeks after a man had Zika virus infection. “This includes being knowledgeable about where the virus is spreading, consulting with a healthcare provider, and following public health’s recommendations to avoid mosquito bites”.
“This is the first time we’ve demonstrated that the virus is active, or rather, with the potential to cause infection, which opens up new paradigms for understanding the transmission routes of the Zika virus”.
Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued interim guidelines for preventing sexual transmission of Zika virus.
Researchers have warned Zika could be linked with microcephaly, a condition causing children to be born with abnormally small brains and skulls. However, the virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. Be sure to tell your health care provider where you traveled. The discovery of Zika in urine and saliva added to concern that Zika, which is predominantly spread by the Aedis aegypti mosquito, could also be transmitted by other means.
CDC guidance on Zika virus, its transmission, treatment, and response to the outbreak will continue to be updated as more becomes known.
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A total of 51 cases have been reported in the USA, all but one from travel.
