MA health officials confirm the state has its first case of Zika virus.
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In a conference call with reporters Thursday, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention principal deputy director Anne Schuchat was asked about a recent New York Times report on the subject.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and all necessary steps have been initiated to ensure that India is well prepared in case of any eventuality”, Mr Nadda said. “The technical group has been specially formed as they will be giving their opinions on what precautionary measures needs to be taken”, a senior Health Ministry official said.
Beth Ranson, Florida Keys Mosquito Control District.
Malaysia’s Health Ministry said Zika had not yet been detected.
A woman who traveled to Colombia in November has been diagnosed with Zika, according to the City of Houston Health Department.
The disease can be identified through a blood test and does not require any specific treatment or treatment in hospital. The third was in Hillsborough County, where a person contracted the virus in Venezuela.
The disease is not believed to spread via human contact and the mosquitoes believed to carry it are not found in NY. The virus is also linked to microcephaly, an abnormal smallness of the head in infants, and so Zika is especially risky for pregnant women.
Thailand has confirmed one case of the virus so far this year. World Health Organization said the virus has been detected in 23 countries and territories in the Americas.
Anita Barry, head of the commission’s Infectious Disease Bureau, stressed the mosquito that transmits Zika is rarely found in Boston. Only about one in five individuals who are infected actually show symptoms that include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. That makes it harder to know if someone is infected, Schuchat said. But the symptoms were usually resolved a couple of days later, and no one died.
There is no vaccine or medications to treat the virus.
The risk is not so much to themselves, but to their baby, who can be born with the rare birth defect that causes the small brains.
“If you are pregnant we recommend you consider postponing travel to a region with ongoing Zika virus transmission”, said Schuchat.
The WHO’s Chan said that while a direct causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations has not yet been established, it is “strongly suspected”. The CDC does not recommend using the following non-registered repellents: Citronella oil, cedar oil, geranium oil, peppermint and peppermint oil, pure oil of lemon eucalyptus and soybean oil.
An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it hard for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.
There is now no vaccination against the virus and the best way to prevent it is by covering skin and keeping away from stagnant water where the mosquitoes tend to lay eggs.
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However, speaking in terms of the impact of the disease on airlines’ performance, she added, “We do not view this virus on the same level as the Ebola outbreak in late 2014 or SARS in 2003…”
