The most common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, or red eyes. Lab tests confirmed that the blood was contaminated with Zika virus.
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Although the Zika virus is not especially unsafe in most cases, it has been found to cause microencephaly in utero: “Some babies with microcephaly have been reported among mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant”.
Zika virus is transmitted primarily through the bites of Aedes species mosquitoes and through sexual activity. The majority of New Yorkers who were found to be infected with the Zika virus reportedly got it from traveling to areas where Zika was prevalent while the rest got infected through sexual contact.
Additionally, it is particularly important to protect pregnant women, or those who plan to become pregnant, from contracting the Zika virus, because Zika may cause developmental problems in the baby during pregnancy.
Currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for Zika. The men, who recently had traveled to a Zika-affected country, were not hospitalized, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said. “Mosquitos are trapped, identified and tested for the West Nile virus”.
“We have been working with a variety of partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the medical community, to identify individuals who need to be tested for the Zika virus and with those who have tested positive”, State Health Officer Dr. Tom Miller said in a press release.
The Herald says the Florida Department of Health has not responded to their request for comment.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging pregnant women and their partners to stay away from Wynwood – the first time the CDC has ever warned against travel to an American neighborhood for fear of an infectious disease.
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has written to leaders of Congress to back a $ 1.9 billion emergency funding package to fight the Zika virus in the United States.
Most of the thousands of Zika infections recorded globally have so far occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean. “The case will be classified as “travel-associated” and is being investigated for more details”, the department said.
The county recommends following the CDC’s guidelines, especially when planning trips to known Zika sites.
The CDC advises pregnant women not to travel to an area where active Zika transmission is ongoing, and to use insect repellent and wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts if they are in those areas.
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The public is asked to help by preventing mosquito bites here at home.
