The first case of Zika virus in Tennessee has been confirmed by health officials. Zika is suspected of causing certain birth defects, in particular microcephaly, in which infants are born with small heads and underdeveloped brains.
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It wouldn’t be surprising to see more cases in the state, given the number of people who travel between OH and countries being affected by the virus, said Dr. Mary DiOrio, the health department’s medical director. She was not hospitalized.
The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid traveling to areas where Zika virus has been detected. So far, 50 travel-related cases of Zika have been reported in the US, including one in Georgia.
The Ohio Department of Health is reporting Ohio’s first case of Zika virus in a returning traveler from Haiti.
Reported cases of Guillain-Barre have increased as the Zika outbreak spreads across Central and South America.
“The risk of contracting Zika virus here in IN remains low, but we know that many residents are concerned”, Dr. Adams said.
Most people who are infected won’t develop symptoms, but some will get a mild illness that can include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.
Colombia is the second country, after Brazil, that has been hardest hit by the Zika outbreak with more than 20,000 cases, including over 2,000 pregnant women.
The Zika virus has been spreading throughout the Americas and the World Health Organization has deemed it a “global health threat”.
Koonce said onset usually happens within two weeks of visiting an affected area, and symptoms typically last for two to seven days. In the fall, Brazil found a rise in the birth defect microcephaly, believed to be associated with the virus.
Health officials in both Pennsylvania and DE have announced cases of the Zika virus. No vaccine or medications are yet available to prevent or treat Zika virus.
However, a patient in Dallas was determined to have contracted the Zika virus here in the USA; through sexual contact with a person who recently returned from Venezuela. But certainly if the patients or their partner have traveled to the affected areas and they have not conceived, I recommend that they hold off until testing.
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Almost 100 Colombians suffering from the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare nerve disorder, also have symptoms of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, Colombia’s National Health Institute has said.
