A virus can be introduced to a new region when a local mosquito picks it up from an infected human – someone coming back from a holiday in South America, for example.
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“We want to remind Canadians that there have been no confirmed cases of locally-acquired Zika virus through mosquitoes, and that the overall risk in Canada remains very low”, the statement reads.
Possibility of microcephaly (unusually small heads and often damaged brains) in newborns.
“These awards will allow health centers to bolster their ongoing efforts to detect and prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Puerto Rico”, said HRSA Acting Administrator Jim Macrae.
Zika is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, which also spreads chikungunya, and dengue.
There are about 474 cases of Zika in Puerto Rico that have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the HHS release.
Zika spreads mostly through mosquitoes and sometimes through sex contact.
The virus usually causes symptoms like fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes.
For pregnant women, the Zika Virus may cause birth defects.
It is believed that the infected person got the virus from sexual interaction with someone who had travelled to a Zika affected country.
Since Zika can be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy and there is now scientific evidence that the virus can cause microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome according to the World Health Organization, it’s a legitimate fear.
Of the microcephaly cases confirmed, the relation between the deformity and Zika has been established in 192 of them.
The insect is a carrier for a number of diseases and viruses, including the closely-monitored Zika virus. If travel can not be avoided or postponed, strict mosquito-bite prevention measures should be taken because of the risk of serious health effects on the unborn baby. Among them are two B.C. women, who are pregnant.
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So how susceptible is the United States to a Zika Virus outbreak? She is not too anxious about traveling overseas because she is not planning on becoming pregnant soon, Brashears said.
