Florida health officials confirmed two new Zika virus infections in Miami-Dade on Tuesday, raising the county’s total to 30 people who have contracted the infectious disease – the greatest number of cases in the state. “While there is much we still don’t know about the dynamics of Zika virus transmission, understanding where the Aedes aegypti mosquito can survive in the USA and how its abundance fluctuates seasonally may help guide mosquito control efforts and public health preparedness”.
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Dr. Irma Asuncion, head of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, defined suspected cases as patients with three major symptoms-fever, conjunctivitis and skin rash-plus any of the following that can not be explained by other medical conditions: headache, myalgia or muscle pain, malaise, joint pain, retro-orbital pain or pain that occurs behind the orbit of the eye.
New Zika virus cases push the numbers higher in the United States, but is it cause for panic already?
The Ohio Department of Health laboratory has begun Zika virus surveillance testing to identify suspected Zika virus infection in individuals within seven days of symptom onset. Four of those cases involved pregnant women while only one acquired the virus outside the state. Right now, the Center for Disease Control says there are almost 200 cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the U.S. DOH will now include Zika Virus under Category 1 Classification on the Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system. Zika reportedly may be spread through blood transfusion and sexual contact, as well as rarely from mother to infant.
By comparing the models to the number and timing of actual microcephaly cases in the Polynesia outbreak, they found the scenario in which the first trimester of pregnancy was linked with an increased risk was most consistent with the data. If Zika has been documented in the area, make sure you take appropriate steps to avoid mosquitos.
An estimated 40 million USA travelers went to Zika outbreak destinations previous year, including about a half million pregnant women, CDC officials estimate. The study cautions, “despite mild clinical outcomes, Zika infection during pregnancy appears to be associated with grave outcomes, including fetal death”.
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There’s growing evidence linking Zika to a rare birth defect and to a nerve condition that causes temporary paralysis. Microcephaly has affected thousands of babies in brazil and the Caribbean.
