Dr. David Heymann, chairman of the World Health Organization committee of independent experts, told Reuters on Monday that postponing the Rio Olympics because of fears it could speed the spread of the Zika virus would give a “false” sense of security because travellers are constantly going in and out of Brazil.
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“Zika symptoms are typically mild in most people”.
While you may associate Zika with mosquitoes, there are new findings that the virus could be contracted through sexual transmission, more than previously thought.
The vast majority of Zika infections have occurred in Latin America, with Brazil the hot zone with an estimated 5,000 cases of microcephaly.
The UN agency has recommended that women in areas where Zika is spreading delay getting pregnant, and that women who have had unprotected sex and do not wish to become pregnant should have “ready access to emergency contraceptive services and counselling”.
Considering the growing reality of sexual transmission of Zika, the United Nations health officials have released latest guidelines this week.
A relative of the mosquito, Aedes albopictus, called the Asian tiger mosquito, is found in parts of OH, including Lucas, Hancock, and Huron counties, and may potentially transmit Zika virus.
To limit any potential spread of Zika virus via mosquitoes, health officials on the federal, state and local level are deploying a three-pronged strategy: improving mosquito control; expanding their ability to test for Zika; and urging the public to protect themselves against mosquitoes. And though she doesn’t want a disease, she’s not overly concerned about the consequences of Zika. The condition results in incomplete brain development and abnormal smallness of the head. The woman had the virus in her urine and saliva, and antibodies to the virus in her blood. Health officials are encouraging American women who have visited any of the infected countries – mostly in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean – to wait at least eight weeks before getting pregnant. “The woman became ill on February 20, and both were tested on February 23, the Times reported”.
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In the coming weeks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) will be holding a meeting on the deadly Zika virus to discuss carrying out a new risk assessment over the upcoming Rio Olympics on whether it should be postponed or proceed as planned. The woman did not exhibit other typical zika symptoms, such as pain and redness in her eyes.
