As a result, the World Health Organization declared an worldwide health emergency February 1, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising pregnant women or those considering becoming pregnant to avoid travel to places with Zika outbreaks.
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Physicians and patients have growing concerns about the rapidly spreading Zika virus. There have been several cases confirmed in the USA but none in Missouri or Kansas.
The Florida Department of Health will be providing instructions to health care workers who want to take part in the conference call.
The Alabama Department of Public Health issued a statement Wednesday saying a resident of Morgan County in the Tennessee Valley tested positive for the virus.
Last month, the CDC announced finding Zika genetic material in brain tissue from two Brazilian babies who had died, and in the placentas from two miscarriages.
For people who get sick, the illness is usually mild.
Most people don’t experience anything, but scientists have been concerned about the virus’ possible link to serious birth defects in the newborns of infected moms in Brazil.
The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes.
However, Watkins stresses that most people are infected by mosquito bites, and that’s where the main focus should be.
“If you plan on becoming pregnant or you’re a pregnant women travelling to Latin America or these countries that has the Zika virus, I would postpone that travel”, said Dr. Chris Gall at the Huronia Travel Clinic.
Babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, can have a range of problems, including seizures, developmental delay, feeding problems and hearing loss.
“We’re hopeful that we won’t see a lot of direct transmission here, but it’s too early to tell”, Kline said.
Dr Frieden said intensive research was under way to find out much more about the mosquito-borne virus and to develop a vaccine for it, although he warned that that could still be years away. Two men transmitted the virus to women and the third man had Zika in his semen.
But, the virus can lead to birth defects in pregnant women.
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This disease can also be sexually transmitted so the CDC recommends that if your sexual partner has traveled outside of the country to use condoms or abstain from sex.
