The greatest concern is for pregnant women as the virus can cause severe birth defects.
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He called upon all Cuban residents to assist troops and police in their efforts to spray neighborhoods and eliminate breeding spots for the Aedes genus of mosquitoes, which spreads the Zika virus. There have been increased reports of newborn microcephaly and other negative effects on pregnancy that could be related to Zika.
Brazilian scientists have successfully sequenced the genome of the Zika virus, confirming that it causes microcephaly in the process, according to the state media outlet Agencia Brasil.
“Because many people travel to and from places where Zika is spreading, we’ve been expecting to have imported cases of Zika virus disease”, Dr. Scott Lindquist said in a press release.
A 16-member team of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started work in Joao Pessoa, in northeastern Brazil, that is the epicenter of the country’s Zika outbreak. The link between women who had Zika while pregnant and microcephaly has not been proven definitively.
As the Zika virus can be passed on through blood, some countries are advising that a person who has been in a country or region where there has been a Zika outbreak should not donate blood. The rare condition causes infants to be born with abnormally small heads, which often drastically shortens their lifespans. The illness usually resolves itself within a couple weeks of infection, and the virus usually doesn’t require hospitalization, according to the CDC.
The Daily Wildcat: What is the Zika virus and what are some signs and symptoms to watch out for?
Locations of confirmed Zika virus cases in the U.S.: As of February 17, the CDC stated there have been 82 reported cases of travel-associated Zika virus, but no locally acquired vector-borne cases in the U.S.
Non-pregnant travelers from such areas who show symptoms are also to be tested for Zika, dengue or chikungunya virus.
The virus can be incubated in the mosquito for eight to ten days and has the potential to transmit it until it dies.
Zika has not yet emerged in the United States, but the recommendations issued by the FDA also cover that eventuality.
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In Paraiba alone, 56 cases of microcephaly have been confirmed since October and 423 suspected cases are under investigation, the Health Ministry says.
