Canadian health officials reported the first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus in the country on Monday.
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A second San Francisco resident has tested positive for the Zika virus, San Francisco Department of Public Health officials announced Friday. All who contracted the virus were infected while travelling to Zika-affected regions, including South and Central America, parts of Mexico, and the Caribbean.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no local mosquito-borne Zika virus cases reported in the U.S., but there are some travel-associated cases.
Pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy should avoid travel to countries with Zika outbreaks, the agency said.
The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to a birth defect in babies called microcephaly, where the infants are born with heads much smaller than the average. Because of this, the World Health Organization declared the virus a global emergency a couple months ago and pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant are being advised not to travel to affected areas. “The best way to prevent Zika virus is to prevent mosquito bites”.
The Dallas County Public Health Lab is responsible for 12 counties and has completed more than 200 specimen analysis, including several which have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control. The aedes mosquito that carries the virus is here and urban areas are more at risk for Zika.
The case involved a man who traveled to Venezuela and infected his male partner – who had not traveled – upon his return to Texas in January.
A local business owner wants to help protect expecting mothers from the diseases spread by mosquitoes.
More than 40 countries are now experiencing a Zika virus outbreak.
People who are diagnosed in the US are returning from other countries where Zika has spread.
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The Zika virus, carried by a specific mosquito species, was once believed to be confined to Africa, where it was identified in 1947, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, but was reported for the first time previous year in Brazil. Symptoms can include mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache, normally last for 2-7 days.
