But apart from Hong Kong swimmer Yvette Kong, who skipped Friday’s 200-meter breaststroke event after complaining of light-headedness and shortness of breath – two of the many symptoms of Zika virus infection – the Games health office has not received any related concern.
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With 1,657 cases of Zika confirmed in the US and the first local spread of the virus in Florida, it’s time for President Obama to use all of the nearly $600 million in unspent Ebola funding Congress provided almost two years ago. Health officials advise travelers to prevent mosquito bites when they return from areas with mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.
The virus can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by abnormally small head size and developmental problems in babies. As many as eight of 10 people show no symptoms when infected and thus would not go to the doctor.
And a significant pocket of Zika virus has sprung up ins outhern Florida as the virus continues to spread, with 25 cases reported so far of local Zika virus.
The emergency was declared one day after the US surgeon general visited Puerto Rico and said he expected 25 percent of Puerto Rico’s almost 3.5 million people will be infected with Zika by year’s end.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned in June that Puerto Rico could see dozens, if not hundreds, of babies with microcephaly in the coming months.
In Williams County, a 32-year-old woman who recently returned from Jamaica was informed this week that her test was positive for the virus, said Rachel Aeschliman, director of nursing for the health department.
The CDC lists Texas, which reported its first Zika-related infant death Tuesday, Aug. 9, with 99. They also stress the need for individual responsibility to reduce the impact of the Zika virus.
President Barack Obama had asked Congress back in February for $1.9 billion to help fight Zika but lawmakers haven’t been able to agree on a spending plan.
Health officials are also concerned because the city of Miami is considered a major destination and transit point for people traveling from Latin America, where the virus has been spreading since last summer.
Keystone said the Aedes mosquito is a daytime-biting insect most active in the morning and late afternoon, and using mosquito repellent and covering your body as much as possible in areas with Zika outbreaks is important.
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State residents are considered at low risk for the viral infection, but travelers and pregnant women are advised to take precautions.
