The U.N. health agency convened an emergency meeting of independent experts in Geneva to assess the outbreak after noting a suspicious link between Zika’s arrival in Brazil previous year and a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads.
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In Florida, there are nine cases all in people who traveled.
Florida’s governor issued a state of emergency in four counties to try and stop the spread of Zika virus.
“In these areas, women who are pregnant need to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using repellants, permethrin-coated clothing, long sleeves and trousers, and by staying indoors (ideally in places with air conditioning) as much as is practical”, Frieden wrote.
“Our Department of Health will continue to be in constant communication with all county health offices, hospitals and the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We know that we must be prepared for the worst even as we hope for the best”.
Campinas health officials said the donor of the contaminated blood developed symptoms afterwards that were mistaken for dengue, a virus borne by the same mosquito that transmits Zika. He officially declared a health emergency in four counties today where cases of the disease have already appeared, The Associated Press reports.
What Does the Virus Do? Signs and symptoms of Zika may include a low-grade fever, rash, joint pain, reddening of the eyes, body aches, headache, eye pain, and vomiting. Officials said they determined that one of the people whose donated blood was used in the transfusion had been infected with Zika.
The virus has also been associated with a rise of microcephaly birth defect cases. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon while deaths are rare. The syndrome is an immunological reaction that can also occur after other viral or bacterial infections. The concern with infected returning travelers is that the Aedes mosquito could bite them and pass the virus to others, causing what infectious disease doctors call “local transmission”.
The Aedes aegypti is a very effective mosquito species for carrying viruses, as evidenced by the fact that it is the primary carrier of the yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya viruses.
Currently, there is no cure for the Zika virus, mainly due to the fact that it did not pose any significant threats to human health until recently.
Get real-time updates as this story unfolds.
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Oh boy. Just what you needed: A new STD.
