Of those, 33 were pregnant women and another 8 were sexually transmitted. According to the experts, in this instance the disease was passed on to a woman through sex with a man who had travelled to a country with active Zika. The biggest risk is to pregnant women and their unborn children. Eliminating stagnant water around the house and work area, properly applying mosquito repellent, keeping doors and windows always closed, wearing long sleeve shirts, wearing long trousers and treating clothes with permethrin are some of the most effective ways to prevent acquiring the Zika virus, the CDC shared. The two local OB-GYN doctors are listed with St. John. Federal health officials have never suggested that all women in a region of the country avoid pregnancy. “That’s one of the key questions we really want to answer”. For outdoors workers and mosquito control workers the advices were nearly the same, the need for them to use proper equipment to protect skin exposure to the bites. The virus is spread through mosquito bites. Zika infections are mounting quickly in the Americas (more than 800 have been reported on USA turf alone, about half in Puerto Rico), and those numbers are sure to explode once mosquito season gets going.
Advertisement
Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group Director Dr. Gregory Poland is leading a team to create the first vaccine to help prevent the stop of the virus. As part of the school’s Town and Gown Reading and Lecture Series, Kimberly Hale, a QU professor in biology, will give an hourlong presentation on the Zika virus starting at 7 p.m.in Room 432 of Francis Hall.
Medical Xpress reported April 24 that Colombian health officials listed 3,292 laboratory confirmed Zika Virus cases and 68,660 suspected cases since October.
Advertisement
OSDH Acute Disease Service epidemiologists are available 24/7 to consult with health care providers and arrange for testing, according to the news release. Nelson adds that it’s not even summer yet, when mosquito swarms are at their thickest: especially in the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The mosquitoes themselves get infected when they bite a person who is already infected with the virus and then spreads it to other people by biting them. It generally causes mild symptoms of fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes. Almost 80 percent of people infected with the virus will have no symptoms. The agency advises women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant to not travel to Zika-affected areas.
