“The Gulf Coast’s steamy climate, abundant mosquitoes and global airports create an environment ripe for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has spread to 37 countries and territories in the Americas”. As summer approaches and officials prepare for possible Zika outbreaks, Pennsylvania’s family doctors are telling their patients to be vigilant, but not to panic over this potential public health threat. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes, and they usually last no more than a week.
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Unborn babies may be at risk if a woman is infected while pregnant. Aides to GOP lawmakers, even those representing Southern areas most vulnerable to Zika, say they’ve yet to hear from many anxious constituents, though they said this could change.
However, Wells added that men who get infected can transmit Zika sexually, and advises them to take precautions if traveling. The CDC has reported 472 Zika virus infections in the continental United States as of May 4.
A CT teenager says she was shocked she tested positive for the Zika virus after learning she was pregnant. “This is my miracle”, she said.
A Danbury resident, 17-year-old Sara Mujica said she reached her own decision despite fears that the virus can cause birth defects.
Pregnant women should not travel to areas with active Zika transmission.
State officials held a media event at Kentucky State University’s research farm Monday morning to update efforts to control the Zika virus. Four out of five infected people will not have any symptoms.
Amid concerns about how the island’s government can pay off the debt, officials are also anxious about health implications.
But health officials on Tuesday reported on an analysis of 66 people in Florida who were tested for Zika using the same detection method but with both blood and urine samples.
According to Patch News, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) has also been urging the community, specifically pregnant women and those planning to conceive, to avoid traveling to Puerto Rico and other infested regions so the increasing number of cases may hopefully be halted.
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Brazil has been the epicenter of the Zika outbreak with almost 5,000 confirmed or suspected cases of microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and brains.
