Gov. Larry Hogan has declared this week to be Maryland’s Zika Virus Awareness Week. It had previously been found in Africa and Southeast Asia but recently made its way to the Americas. The Zika virus and the West Nile virus belong to the same flavivirus family.A House committee on Wednesday approved an amendment to the state budget to inject $250,000 to set mosquito traps in certain areas of the state and to educate the public about the virus.
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Though there’s no vaccination or cure for the Zika virus, medication can be used to treat its symptoms.
Most people who catch Zika don’t know they have it. In 20 percent of cases, the virus can cause mild symptoms of fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.
The guideline took into account people who can not follow the preventions because they were already infected.
But don’t discount the impact of Zika.
According to the CDC, Zika virus also has the potential to be spread through unprotected sexual contact, through blood transfusion and an infected pregnant woman can pass Zika virus to her fetus during pregnancy. Earlier this month, US health officials confirmed that Zika does, in fact, cause birth defects. Strong scientific consensus links Zika to neurological disorders including the Guillain-Barre Syndrome and microcephaly. The Senate is taking the lead in developing the Zika funding measure.
Health officials in several countries, including Brazil and Colombia, have suggested that women delay pregnancy.
“We are strongly recommending that pregnant women and spouses or sexual partners of women who are pregnant or might be pregnant, avoid traveling to areas where Zika virus has been identified, if at all possible”, said Oklahoma State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley in the release.
The first confirmed case of Zika virus in Erie County was announced in late February.
There’s no medicine or vaccine yet. But instead of despairing, there are ways to help those affected by the spread of the virus. But with so much still unknown about Zika, it’s hard to say how much money is needed to get it under control.
For medical workers, the CDC encouraged staff members and employers to follow good infection control and biosafety practices to prevent or minimize the risk of transmission of the infectious agents.
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The weather in Puerto Rico in May will be warm, and mosquitos are more prevalent in warmer climate. The virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, and no mosquito-borne virus before had ever been known to cause birth defects.
