Cuba’s Health Ministry on Tuesday (March 15) reported the first case of Zika contracted in the country, in a 21-year-old woman living in central Havana and who had not been overseas. Researchers are studying whether there is a link between the virus and microcephaly, a birth defect in which a baby’s head is smaller than normal.
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“The first case of the Zika virus transmitted in the country has been diagnosed”. The laboratory is acting in Piracicaba who had a dengue outbreak last summer with 132 cases and after treatment showed only two cases this summer. “Our findings support WHO’s recommendations for pregnant women to protect themselves from mosquito bites”.
ADPH is keeping Alabamians apprised of the Zika virus status by giving updates each Monday that include total numbers of test samples submitted, the number with results pending, and number of positive results for Alabama residents at adph.org, search Zika. The Aedes aegypti mosquito has been the bug that has spread the most amount of Zika cases. Authorities there say they think most of these cases are related to Zika. The Obama administration has called for around $1.8 million budget to fight against Zika virus, as the president declared that “this sort of falls in the category of things that shouldn’t break down along party lines”.
According to Peter Norton, medical director for the Abilene Health Department, there isn’t a need to worry about the virus if proper precautions are taken when traveling to high-risk areas. They’re also encouraged to use insect repellents when outdoors. Seven of the eight cases occurred in a four-month period around the end of the outbreak, aiding researchers in their conclusion that the infections occurred among women who were in the first trimester of their pregnancies. In addition, there are reports of a possible association with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an illness of the nervous system that can cause muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. More information about the disease can be found on the CDC’s website. They assured the general public that the country is more equipped in combatting the virus than South American nations.
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The U.S.is not now on the list of places with active Zika virus transmission, so advice for traveling is a little trickier.
