The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised all pregnant women to consider postponing travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing, primarily Central and South America.
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How is Zika related to microcephaly?
As of Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services said it has confirmed 14 Zika cases in the state: three in Bexar County, two in Dallas County, seven in Harris County and the two cases in Travis County.
The health district reports this this is the second Zika virus case involving a traveler returning to Washington state, the first being a case in Mason County involving a man who traveled to an area where the Zika virus is active. Doctors say it appears the virus can be spread through mosquito bites, sexual activity and blood contact. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly.
Current efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task for many parts of the poverty-stricken Pacific islands that have been saving water from the El Nino enforced drought, inadvertently providing a breeding ground for the disease-spreading insect. A hospital official said the facility is awaiting lab tests to confirm if the woman-reported to be in her 20s-was infected by Zika virus. She delivered her baby and the child tested negative for Zika virus.
“Thousands of DKT employees are working in-the-trenches to inform, educate, and provide contraceptives to those living in the most remote regions of the world to help prevent the Zika virus, unwanted pregnancies, maternal deaths and unsafe abortions”, says Chris Purdy, CEO of DKT International.
There is no vaccine or medicine to treat Zika. For those who do, symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes and tend to be mild.
See your healthcare provider if you develop the symptoms described above and have visited an area where Zika is found. It also added that male partners of pregnant women should properly and consistently use condoms or abstain from sex during the pregnancy. Brazil has been the country most affected. “Our vision is to have zero babies born with Zika because their mothers are aware of the travel advisories and potential risks”.
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“The resident was only in Townsville for a couple of days while unwell, has now recovered and is no longer infectious”, a spokesperson for the Queensland health department told Xinhua on Tuesday. The most common mosquito that transmits Zika is usually found in the tropics and southern United States and can also spread chikungunya and dengue.
