Earlier this month, the CDC said it would give $1.3 million to help Arkansas fight the virus through efforts such as encouraged participation on the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.
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A hospital source said the baby’s mother, who hasn’t been publicly identified, caught the Zika virus while travelling in Latin America, the Guardian reported. CDC will continue to update this guidance as new information becomes available. Many people with zika may not know they have the virus as symptoms are usually mild and can last for several days to a week.
After travelling to an area with ongoing Zika transmission, the patients returned to Louisiana and began to show symptoms of an illness, prompting the individual to seek treatment.
Zika virus is primarily spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito.
A baby with brain damage linked to the Zika virus has been born in Spain, a case thought to be the first of its kind in Europe. Researchers are continuing to learn about how the Zika virus infects and affects in the body of those with the disease. The results of the latter test are more hard to interpret because the body’s reaction to Zika virus can resemble the reaction to similar viruses; therefore, this test may not provide a definite diagnosis.
The new guidance, issued Monday, also applies to pregnant women who have no symptoms. Pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant should avoid travel to areas with Zika transmission.
These public forums are a part of a series of community outreach events conducted by the DOH to provide the public, with an emphasis on pregnant women and their partners, an opportunity to learn more about the zika virus.
As of Wednesday (July 27), there were 17 new travel-related Zika cases in Florida, including the three total cases in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
“If a woman is pregnant in an endemic area, she should either abstain from sex or having protected sex with condoms and barrier methods for the duration of the pregnancy”, England said.
The virus typically spreads from men to women. Sex includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Health care providers should test all pregnant women who may have been exposed to Zika sexually.
According to the CDC, there have been no reports of any pets or other types of animals getting sick with Zika, but so little research has been done so far, there are far more questions than answers.
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In most cases the infection is benign and in 60-80 percent of cases causes no symptoms.
