The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that she has been impressed by the Brazilian government’s handling of the Zika virus outbreak. “In two of the new suspected sexual transmission events, Zika virus infection has been confirmed in women whose only known risk factor was sexual contact with an ill male partner who had recently traveled to an area with local Zika virus transmission”, said the CDC.
Advertisement
The virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are found in Florida, but the CDC reports that Zika can also be transmitted by a man to his sex partners and through blood transfusions.
Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly, a condition marked by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems. A news release says all three cases are believed to be travel-related.
“Now that all these birth defects and associated conditions have come out, Zika is turning into a game-changer”, said Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, an assistant professor in Emory University’s Department of Environmental Sciences.
The KCDC recommended that fertile women delay pregnancy for at least two months after they return home and men abstain from sex or use condoms.
The CDC is asking ob-gyns to review fetal ultrasounds and do maternal testing for any pregnant woman who has traveled to one of more than 30 countries where Zika is active.
Three pregnant women tested positive for the Zika virus in Florida and another woman in MI, health officials say.
The United States reported its first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus in early February, after a man traveled to Venezuela then returned to Texas and infected a partner who had not traveled there.
Calling mosquito-borne Zika a “bigger menace” than any other recent major health scare in terms of its geographical spread, Chan said tough times lie ahead. Currently, that includes 11 counties in the state.
Pregnant woman Jessica Edwards, who lives next to the pub, said she was concerned.
Advertisement
The state of Florida has stepped up it’s mosquito-borne illness surveillance and mosquito control efforts.
