But since eighty percent of people with the virus have no symptoms, self-reporting misses most infections.
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One of the three cases is a pregnant woman, according to the reports; all had traveled either to Central or South America.
The issue is that many people who contract Zika virus might not know they have it. Only 1 in 5 people who have Zika develop symptoms, and those symptoms are typically mild: fatigue, aches, pain, and a skin rash.
The guidance also suggests the men might consider abstaining or using condoms even with a partner who isn’t pregnant.
The CDC said that pregnant women can be tested for the virus for two to 12 weeks after they return from area with an outbreak. The new guidelines come as the “linkage between Zika and microcephaly becomes stronger”, CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., said.
Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico have all warned women not to get pregnant. Florida Governor Rick Scott updated the public on the Zika virus Thursday asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide testing kits to our state.
“This is a mosquito-borne disease”, Dr. Frieden said.
State Surgeon General John Armstrong says both tests are extremely important for mothers who traveled overseas and may have had symptoms.
The United Nations Population Fund said it would closely monitor the Zika virus in countries around the world, including Nepal, and spread awareness about the virus.
For women who aren’t pregnant and men with sex partners who are not pregnant but who live in or have traveled to regions with Zika transmission, the agency says precautions can also be taken.
Langhi said he had been told that researchers investigating the transplant case had determined that the patient contracted Zika through the transfusion, and not through a bite by the Aedes mosquito that is the virus’ main vector.
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Zika, which is spreading through the Americas, has been linked to babies being born with underdeveloped brains.
