Zika is spread through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, which officials say is not common in DE, but is in southern states where the climate is warmer.
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What is Zika, and how does it spread?
The findings in the study published Wednesday “do not provide absolute proof that Zika virus causes microcephaly”, Eric J. Rubin, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote in an accompanying editorial. They did not contract the virus in the U.S.
Zika is rapidly spreading through Latin America, and as it did, Brazil reported a surge in babies born with unusually small heads, a defect called microcephaly that can signal underlying brain damage. People rarely are hospitalized for the virus, and the majority of those infected with it do not show symptoms. There is as yet no vaccine or treatment for the disease.
Hennessy said the diagnosis of the virus in the woman was “very concerning”.
Pregnant women are strongly encouraged to heed travel advisories and avoid countries where Zika is a problem.
Viral infections other than Zika have previously been linked to microcephaly.
Zika is generally a mild illness that lasts between two and seven days.
“This is a huge step toward proving this virus causes microcephaly”, said Dr. Charles Chiu, director of a viral diagnostic laboratory at UC San Francisco.
“By definition, they’ll have microcephaly, but they’ll have completely normal development”, McCabe said, adding that it’s not necessarily a birth defect for every baby who has it.
Data needs to be shared as quickly as possible, she said, “to address all these questions concurrently”.
Australia’s 450 athletes and about 300 officials will be issued mosquito repellent – the best known defense against Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes. An area in the northeast “has no screens, no air-conditioning”, she said. The CDC is paying close attention and issuing rapidly changing travel advisories.
The letter goes on to spell out much of the information that’s already been relayed by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun sent a letter Wednesday to all potential American Olympians, acknowledging the growing concern over the virus.
In October 2015, Brazilian authorities reported a concerning increase in microcephaly, which has occurred in close sequence to Brazil’s outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. “The biggest point we’ll be making to our guests is to buy travel insurance”, he said.
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“The reports that the USOC has advised USA athletes to reconsider competing in Rio due to the Zika virus are 100 percent inaccurate”, USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said.
