Recent evidence also showed that men ill with Zika infection may be able to transmit the virus to sexual partners. “From a public health point of view, we want to be prepared”.
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“The most important thing right now, is that if a woman is pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, she should really think about postponing a trip (to at risk areas) until after delivering the baby”, Brito said.
The state is also planning to provide free Zika protection kits to pregnant women through health-care providers. The state’s anti-Zika efforts will be focused on New York City, Long Island and Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Putnam and Dutchess counties, officials said. Anyone travelling to an affected area is urged to take precautions against mosquito bites. “West Nile virus can debilitate you for a few years, (Zika) is not a temporary debilitation for children”.
The CDC said up to one quarter of Puerto Rico’s populace, or more than 700,000 people, could be infected by the virus in the coming months.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel alert Saturday that “mosquitoes in the area are infected with Zika virus and are spreading it to people”. While the majority of Zika virus cases occur in tropical regions such as Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and French Guiana, the possibility exists of mosquito infection in tropical-like climates in some cities, such as Houston and New Orleans in the US.
Experts say small standing puddles of water could be a breeding ground for mosquitos carrying the zika virus.
“We have anticipated that travel-related cases would be identified in New Mexico”, said Department of Health Deputy Secretary Lynn Gallagher.
“By integrating information on weather, travel patterns, mosquito biology and human behavior, the project team has improved our ability to forecast, deal with, and possibly even prevent future outbreaks of Zika and other serious diseases”, she added. And those that do usually develop mild symptoms – fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes – which usually last no more than a week.
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“Before 2015 Zika virus disease among US Travelers was uncommon”, Paige Armstrong, MD and colleagues noted in the report.
