During a joint news conference with Senator Patty Murray at Harborview Medical Center, doctors say they don’t know how the virus will affect the women’s pregnancies, and that they were monitoring the women.
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So far, fewer than a dozen pregnant women with Zika have had a problem, such as a miscarriage, or evidence that the fetus has a birth defect.
“This has to get done over the course of the next several weeks in order for us to be able to provide confidence to the American people that we’re handling this piece of business”, he said.
Until now, the CDC has reported the number of people with Zika virus disease using a case definition established in consultation with the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists, which included only individuals who had laboratory test results and symptoms or pregnancy complications consistent with Zika virus infection.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media about the Zika virus. In addition, USA territories were with just 65 cases in the previous CDC report. One woman gave birth to an infant with serious birth defects, while two others delivered healthy infants. In a change announced Friday, May 20, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will count all women who tested positive, regardless of whether they had suffered symptoms. Puerto Rico, however, has reported 803 locally-acquired cases of Zika so far.
Obama spoke to reporters Friday after a briefing from health officials on the virus’ spread. Administration officials have asked Congress for about $1.9 billion in emergency funding for vaccine development and other Zika work.
“The virus develops in humans and is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is “very rare” in Georgia, Elmer Gray, an entomologist with the University of Georgia, told Q&A on the News in an email”, according to a recent AJC report.
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The Senate has pledged $1.1 billion for Zika and the House of Representatives voted to redirect $622.1 million in funding mainly by cutting programs for the Ebola virus. Another 122 pregnant women with confirmed or suspected infections are being monitored in USA territories. “Bottom line is, Congress needs to get me a bill”.
