As for women who plan to become pregnant in the future, Dr. Frieden says, “if this behaves like other viruses, infection with Zika before pregnancy would not have an impact on subsequent pregnancies”.
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Since the Zika outbreak in Brazil early past year, the virus has spread to 20 countries across the Americas.
The country has confirmed 404 cases of Zika-linked microcephaly and 3,670 others are under study.
Health officials say Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The team wants to know how long Zika persists in the blood, saliva and urine; whether infection protects against exposure in the future and whether pregnancy stage when infection occurs influences the effects on infants.
On Wednesday, European researchers caring for a woman who returned there from Brazil reported a post-abortion autopsy that found the virus in her fetus’ severely damaged brain one a fraction of the proper size and lacking the usual crinkly folds.
Castro and Pedro Vasconcelos, a doctor at the Evandro Chagas Institute of Infectious Diseases, announced the vaccine partnership with the USA researchers as Brazil pledged $1.9 million to the effort over the next five years.
For patients who are not pregnant, the decision to test for Zika is based on the severity of their symptoms, according to Irwin. Weivoda said the virus was discovered after the patient showed flu-like symptoms, including a rash and a fever, and sought medical help.
Also Thursday, Brazilian health officials said they had entered into an agreement with the University of Texas to develop a Zika vaccine, with the hope that it would be ready for clinical testing within a year, the Associated Press reported.
CEO Scott Blackmun also wrote a letter to athletes assuring them all steps are being taken to assure their safety.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which can carry the Zika virus.
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A baby born with birth defect in Hawaii in January was the first case of Zika incident in the United States, and health officials revealed the baby’s mother was in Brazil a year ago where she could have contracted the infection which ultimately affected the baby in the womb. “Even in this week, the data that’s come out makes it look very much like this is a virus that’s what we call neurotropic it targets the nerve cells”.
