After reviewing existing evidence on the virus, CDC investigators determined that Zika can cause fetal death, microcephaly and other severe brain defects and adverse outcomes if a woman is infected during pregnancy.
Advertisement
In early June, Today co-host Savannah Guthrie said she would not help cover the Olympics because she is expecting her second child and is concerned about the Zika virus’ link to birth defects and miscarriages.
Regarding the use of the funds, the CDC said that they can be used to spot and investigate potential Zika outbreaks, help government agencies work more closely with each other and with non-government entities on multiple levels, and identify families affected by the virus while connecting them to community services. A person infected with Zika also generally does not show symptoms to the point of getting hospitalized.
“Mosquitoes with Wolbachia were less capable of harboring Zika virus, and though they do get infected with Zika, it is to a lesser extent than wild-type mosquitoes”, says Matthew Aliota, first author of the study.
The Zika virus has spread in 61 countries and territories, mostly in Central and South America, and has been declared an worldwide public health emergency by the World Health Organization.
The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and CDC released a new case definition for Zika that now includes reporting both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases of Zika. “We’re playing with costs, how much money it would take to get those distributed throughout the county, but that would be the next step”. Hopefully, when before the bugs start to bite, Congress will stop diddling around and provide funding for prevention (mosquito abatement) and Zika treatment.
According to Spanish media, the woman is not pregnant. Sexually active men who have had Zika are also another group of particular interest, as the virus can remain in the semen for up to six months after infection.
“While the results have yielded negative, with the regional outbreak in mind, we should not be complacent and medical personnel should remain on high alert to look for any imported cases”, Dr Williams-Rodriguez said. “The actual risk, especially if you’re a traveler in an air-conditioned building, hotel, workspace or out on a field of play, of contracting the virus, of encountering a mosquito is very, very, very slim”.
Only 20 percent of those who contract the virus display symptoms. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican bill that would have provided $1.1 billion to fight the virus because of unrelated policy riders attached to the legislation, including provisions to prevent money going to the women’s health clinics Planned Parenthood, and to allow the display of the Confederate flag at veterans’ cemeteries.
They found that mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia were less likely to become infected with Zika virus after feeding on viral blood, and those that were infected were not capable of transmitting the virus in their saliva.
Advertisement
President Barack Obama has complicated the issue by threatening to veto anything less than he asked for, a move that would effectively gut the effort to combat Zika.
