US health officials said Thursday that they do not expect widespread infections across the country. He said some were detected years ago in a shipment of bamboo from China.
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Colombia has said it had about 16,500 suspected cases of Zika, though only a small fraction have been confirmed by laboratory tests. All three viruses are carried by the same mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Officials are also investigating if a rare immunological syndrome called Guillain-Barre syndrome, is related. Thirteen of those with the disease are believed to have contracted it within the country, Ecuadoran Health Minister Margarita Guevara said.
“It’s the proverbial ideal storm”, said Dr. Albert Ko, a professor of epidemiology with the Yale School of Public Health, adding the region was likely at least one of the initial points of entry for the disease – which researchers theorize may have been introduced to Brazil by tourists visiting the country during the 2014 World Cup or an global canoeing event the same year.
Cases of Zika have been reported in more than 20 countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean, as well as parts of Mexico, following its spread from Africa to Asia and the Pacific Islands.
The WHO’s regional office in the Americas said Monday the most effective ways to stop the virus from spreading are to reduce mosquito breeding sites and for people to protect themselves from bites with insect repellent, nets, screens and clothing that covers as much of the body as possible.
Fauci said at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. on Friday that the U.S.is taking the virus “very seriously” and is preparing in case it should spread here.
Health officials want you to see your doctor if you experience the symptoms: low-grade fever, joint pain, red eyes, rash and generalized symptoms such as muscle pain, physical weakness, lack of energy and headaches. But there’s mounting evidence linking it to a birth defect, especially in Brazil. That means people who do travel to South America and contract the disease are not a danger to anyone once they arrive back in Canada. He says two have recovered and didn’t give details on the other two.
“The mosquitoes known to transmit the virus are not established in Canada and are not well suited to our climate”, he said. “As the Deputy Mayor said, travel to warm places in winter months is something that New Yorkers often look forward to doing”, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said. The United Nations specifically mentions that El Nino can cause an “increase in vector-borne diseases including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus due to increased mosquito vectors”.
The campaign aims to tell people about Zika’s symptoms, how to avoid it and how to eliminate areas where it breeds.
On Friday, Ecuador confirmed 22 cases plus an additional 67 suspected cases, although none involved pregnant women.
How do people become infected?
The Zika virus is spreading rapidly in Latin America, and Asian governments have issued advisories in a bid to contain the spread of the disease, which could be linked to birth defects and can cause temporary paralysis.
“I’m afraid that my baby could have some problem”, said Kerly Rocio Ariza, a 17-year-old Colombian who is five months into her first pregnancy and was recently diagnosed with Zika.
Obama convened a meeting of senior health advisers to discuss the spread of the virus and its economic and developmental impact on the Americas.
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But those with most to fear, pregnant women or those thinking of having babies, are none the wiser and many are scared of what might happen.
