The first case of microcephaly in the fetus of a woman infected by the Zika virus has been detected in Spain, it has been confirmed by health authorities in the Catalan region of Spain.
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The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant postpone travel to affected areas where Zika is locally transmitted, including much of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“My mom had called me crying hysterically and she was like your blood work came back and you were positive for Zika”, said Sara Mujica, Connecticut. A big reason for the cancelation is due to the effect the Zika virus causes for pregnant women and their unborn children.
The phenomenon was first detected in Brazil, where experts say there are almost 1,200 confirmed cases of microcephaly. But getting that information can be hard because other viruses, such as dengue and chikungunya, are prevalent in the same areas, and scientists don’t understand how the infections interact.
When traveling to countries where Zika virus or other viruses spread by mosquitoes have been reported, use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and trousers, and stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens. But that is of little value to women who discover they are pregnant weeks after traveling or are uncertain when they became pregnant.
“Florida leads the nation in the number of travel-related cases of Zika, and our climate makes us a hotbed for mosquitoes”, Putnam said. When the Zika outbreak began, the group saw an opportunity to apply the technology to another urgent health crisis. “We don’t know the full spectrum of outcomes”, she said. The mosquitoes that carry Zika bite during the day and night.
The latest research builds on that development; the team combined RNA molecule detection with a CRISPR-based module to create a freeze-dried, paper-based diagnostic test for Zika virus.
Officials said her symptoms included a fever, a rash and conjunctivitis.
However, following large outbreaks of Zika virus in French Polynesia in 2013 and in Brazil previous year, studies have increasingly suggested a link between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly.
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“We’ll be working in a coordinated fashion to get the word out to educate and inform the public on what they need to do”, said Mayor Jones.
