Bharat Biotech has dismissed this argument saying the company was already developing vaccines for Chikungunya and Dengue and it was natural to work also on a vaccine for Zika virus which too is spread by the same species of mosquito.
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“We are being told by the CDC to really focus on protecting pregnant women”, O’Donnell said.
Benson says the best mosquito control is destroying breeding grounds by dumping any standing water near your home, and using insect repellant and proper screens and clothing.
The Zika virus is a member of the arbovirus family, which also includes West Nile Virus and Yellow Fever.
While the Zika virus was initially thought to be transmitted through mosquito bites, new cases confirm that a person could get the virus through sexual intercourse with an infected person.
Meanwhile, while Brazil has seen a surge in babies born with Zika-linked microcephaly, or abnormally small heads and brains, Colombia has not, Santos reported.
We asked Dr. Benson, “In South America they’re going to great lengths to spray in a different way than just fogging”. Viruses like Zika are a potent reminder of how easily diseases spread in a globalised world.
But Jorge Lopez-Camelo and Ieda Maria Orioli, from the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC), suggested that the baseline may have been underestimated and that heightened awareness of the birth defect, because of the possible link with Zika, may have led to an increase in reported cases.
This is the first test of whether fear of contamination by the Zika virus may scare tourists from the Olympics the city will host in August and September, says the BBC’s Julia Carneiro.
Of those aware of the virus, 41 percent said they were less likely to travel to Puerto Rico, Mexico or South America in the next 12 months because of Zika, the poll found. Some 48 percent said Zika had not changed the likelihood of their visiting those destinations, while others did not know.
O’Donnell said Larimer County is working on educating women who are pregnant or may become pregnant that have traveled or plan on traveling to countries that have been affected by the virus.
Gaviria said Colombia has registered about 100 cases of GBS that are believed to be related to the Zika virus.
Among other European countries, the Netherlands has newly confirmed 10 Zika cases, Britain five, Italy and Portugal four, and Spain two.
“We found out that we tested negative, and we are so relieved”, Meakins said in an email to this newspaper. In others, Zika behaves like a normal viral infection, he said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with an active outbreak of Zika, and the World Health Organization has declared an worldwide emergency over the disease.
The mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus are unusual in that they usually bite during the day, Mirivel said.
“So right now we [in Lucas County] are very safe”, Dr. Grossman said.
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Mario Tama/Getty ImagesHealth officials have warned that the untreatable Zika virus can be transmitted through saliva. An estimated 80 percent of those infected show no symptoms, and those that do have a mild illness, with a fever, rash and red eyes. Mr. Figueroa-Serville said residents should take all necessary measures to protect themselves.
