In its February 1 declaration, the World Health Organization cited a “strongly suspected” relationship between the Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, and infection in pregnancy and microcephaly.
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Most who contract the virus experience a very mild illness.
At present, several other countries have confirmed cases of the Zika Virus. The other states that have reported Zika cases are Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“If we can provide some basic information or show a potential association, that will allow us another avenue of how do we prevent this and what do we need to do next”, Staples said.
Health workers spray insecticide in the Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro, to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits the Zika virus.
Zika virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito in tropical regions. They also note the microcephaly spike appears to be largely restricted to Brazil, with few cases reported in other countries with Zika outbreaks, such as neighboring Colombia.
The CDC has issued travel alerts for almost 30 countries for pregnant women and women who may become pregnant, urging them to avoid exposure to the virus until more is known about the risk to unborn babies.
In the face of the current situation, the leadership of the Communist Party and the government have adopted a plan of action, under the Public Health Ministry to fight Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya, the Head of State explained.
He is among 82 people nationwide who contracted the mosquito-borne infection while traveling to areas where the virus has exploded.
In a previous outbreak in French Polynesia, health professionals noticed a rise in the cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease that affects the nervous system and results in symptoms such as muscle weakness, pain and numbness as well as co-ordination problems.
But the increase in both cases and birth defects in Brazil in the past year has prompted health officials to reassess their thinking about Zika and pregnant women.
To find out more about the disease, UA epidemiologist and assistant professor at the College of Public Health, Heidi Brown, answered questions put forth by the Daily Wildcat.
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The discovery added to growing evidence that the Zika virus might be behind the recent surge in the number of babies born in Brazil with microcephaly. Scientists have found strains of the virus in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women carrying babies with microcephaly, in the brain tissue of infants with microcephaly, and in the placenta of mothers who have miscarried infants with the said condition.
