The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 26 travelers returning to the US have been diagnosed with Zika since 2007 – all of them believed to have caught it overseas.
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If a pregnant woman tests positive for Zika virus, she should have an ultrasound every three to four weeks to monitor fetus growth, the CDC said. Women who have tested negative should consider follow-up ultrasounds for the duration of their pregnancy under the new guidelines. The Zika virus is spread when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites someone else.
The virus can’t be transmitted from person to person. CDC lists Zika as “usually mild”, whereas dengue can be potentially very painful, causing severe joint pain. Most infected people don’t develop symptoms.
There is no treatment for the virus and the only way to prevent it is to reduce the risk of mosquito bites when in these geographic areas. “Health care providers should contact their state or local health department to facilitate testing and for assistance with interpreting results”.
The transgenic mosquito know as OX513A was approved by Brazil’s National Technical Commission for Biosafety (CTNBio), but needs authorization from health surveillance regulator Anvisa to move to commercial production. The CDC says additional studies are needed to research the virus and its connection to birth defects. The virus is circulating via mosquitoes in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Why hasn’t a link between Zika and the birth defect been noted earlier? These areas include Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela.
A baby born in Hawaii to a woman who had lived in Brazil recently had microcephaly and also evidence of Zika infection.
Release of GM bugs in the U.S.is a possibility too, and interest in the idea might accelerate if Zika or unexplained cases of microcephaly spring up in Florida. The CDC and health officials in Hawaii on Saturday confirmed the first USA case of a baby born with microcephaly was infected by Zika while in utero. Mosquito repellants including DEET are safe for pregnant women to use, and people should also wear long sleeves and stay indoors in places where mosquitoes might be.
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Dr. Aileen Marty, a Florida International University professor and physician who specializes in infectious diseases, said while the mosquitoes in the continental United States do not have the virus “they can acquire it and amplify it”.
