The Health Ministry said in an email to The Associated Press, that while the case of the gunshot victim was not yet part of a scientific study, “the case is among multiple investigations under way into the behavior of the virus”. The virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but investigators had been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted.
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The meeting focused on ways to control the mosquito population spreading the virus, though reports of a U.S. patient catching the disease by having sex fuelled fears that it will not be easy to contain.
The Zika virus has been declared an emerging public health threat by the World Health Organization.
“It’s a mosquito that we have in Kentucky, but only about one out of about every 5,000 mosquitoes is an Aedes aegypti”.
For a full list of affected areas and more information on the Zika virus, check out the official website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The timing has fuelled strong suspicions that Zika is causing the birth defect.
“The infection often occurs without symptoms but it can cause a mild illness which can include fever, headache, rash, joint and muscle pain, and conjunctivitis”.
However, confirmation yesterday that the virus was passed on to a woman in Dallas in the United States through sexual transmission means that someone who never travels to an affected country could be at risk.
Paulo Gadelha suggested pregnant women avoid kissing people other than a regular partner or sharing cutlery, glasses and plates with people who have symptoms of the virus.
The Red Cross also asked that anyone who develops symptoms of the Zika virus infection within 14 days of donation to notify the agency immediately so it can quarantine the blood. So far, the only recent case that has been transmitted within the United States is believed to have occurred in Texas through sex. The person carrying the virus had recently returned from a trip to Venezuela.
Thousands of children in Brazil have been born with shrunken heads in the past year – a birth defect that some research suggests could result from Zika infection.
The DOH has issued a health advisory to local health departments, health care providers and hospitals to further coordinate Zika response efforts in NY.
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If Kentuckians are traveling to areas where the virus is prevalent, they should use insect repellent, wear long sleeve clothes, and avoid going outside when mosquitoes are most active, Humbaugh said.
