“When we were down there, there was only about 15 known cases of the Zika Virus”, Peterson said.
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Public health officials say there’s no current threat after the first case of the Zika virus was confirmed in Bell County this week.
The history of Zika, which was discovered in Uganda in 1947, may provide valuable lessons for the current crisis in Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Americas, said scientists from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Mosquitos can only transfer Zika if they have bitten a person infected within a week of the person being infected.
“Our analysis suggests that Zika spread is not containable, but that the epidemic will burn itself out within two to three years”. The baby was born several weeks ago but did not have microcephaly-a rare neurological condition that causes babies to have smaller-than-normal heads and can cause incomplete brain development-or any other birth defects linked to Zika, according to the health department. No known treatment or vaccine now exists for the virus. But many are anxious that it could infect more pregnant women. It’s probably the best-known effect of women contracting Zika when pregnant. These travelers have gotten the virus from mosquito bites and some non-travelers got Zika through sex with a traveler. The Zika situation in Brazil has been bleak since the outbreak was first reported in May 2015.
With the 2016 Rio Olympic Games less than one month away, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement summarizing their assessment of the risk of Zika importation by those returning from the summer Games. It was later decided that the event would not be cancelled or moved and officials have said the risk of catching Zika during the Olympics is nearly zero. Even with the information about the number of cases dropping in Brazil, a few athletes have chose to skip the event.
For more information on global Zika hotzones go here. He says the group of people he takes know all about the virus.
What do you think about their estimates?
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“Before we even came down, we had get-togethers to let them know that the Zika is going to be down there”.
