Researchers at UTMB-Galveston are making headway in the battle against Zika, which was first isolated in 1947 in Uganda.
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On his end, Garcia Padilla expressed his gratitude for the support given by the Administration of President Barack Obama, and added that “the threat of Zika to future generations of Puerto Ricans is evident, and I feel a responsibility to do everything that is within my reach to make sure we fight the spread of the virus”. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women not to travel to the area.
A HEALTH expert has warned he expects one in four people in the USA territory of Puerto Rico to be infected with the Zika virus before the year’s end. The baby died shortly after birth.
The city plans to reference the Department of State Health Services’ Zika response plan in the event of cases here, he said.
As of Thursday, there have been 205 confirmed cases of travel-related Zika infections in Canada and two cases of sexual transmission.
One of the cases included a person who does not live in Miami’s one-square-mile “transmission zone”, in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, where the health department believes local transmission is taking place.
Monroe County in Southeast Michigan has a reported case of the mosquito-born Zika virus, according to the Monroe News.
The race for a vaccine has begun in earnest, with UTMB-Galveston helping to lead the way, said Scott Weaver, Ph.D, director of UTMB’s Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, and scientific director of the Galveston National Laboratory.
Gimenez has said previously that Miami-Dade County will spend almost $8 million fighting mosquitoes this year, almost four times more than budgeted.
In the US, Zika has only been spread by mosquitos in Puerto Rico and in South Florida, due to those two locations tropical climates. Using mice, we are testing mutants of the virus made with clones to find ones that are attenuating (weakened). There are no approved vaccines or specific therapies available yet.
“Fortunately, the same precautions that are going to protect you from Zika are going to protect you from West Nile virus, which is spreading in Texas and something we see every year”, he said.
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With the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, health officials worldwide have voiced concerns over a potential crisis, both in Brazil and when global athletes and tourists, who may be unknowingly infected, return home and possibly spread the virus. Phase one trials that test for safety last 44 weeks, which would take us into our winter months when the density of cases is low.
