A baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, was infected by the Zika virus, USA health officials confirmed on Saturday, apparently the first case of the mosquito-borne virus in a birth on US soil.
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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a “Level-2” travel alert in 14 countries and territories in the Western Hemisphere due to the startling spread of the Zika virus.
The Department of Health issued a statement reminding physicians that travel history must always be considered as the Zika virus can be caught in other countries and brought into the United States.
It is a question, though, that will be asked with increasing frequency as the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro approach.
There have been no confirmed cases of Zika virus transmission within Hawaii, Park said.
While the link between Zika infection in pregnancy and babies born with microcephaly has not yet been proven, mounting evidence supports the theory that there is a connection. But all were people who were infected during travel outside the country.
As the number of reported Zika infections has risen, so have instances of microcephaly.
“We believe this is a fairly serious problem”, Dr. Lyle R. Petersen, the CDC’s chief of vector-borne diseases said in a Friday evening teleconference. The mosquitoes that transmit it – from the Aedes family – are found in a number of states, especially in the south. Florida and southeast Texas have been identified as areas that are especially vulnerable. “With this kit, the person can test their blood and will know immediately if they are with dengue, chikungunya or Zika”, the minister said after a visit to the Instituto Butantan, in São Paulo.
“But I think it’s important for us to understand that there are going to be imported cases of Zika to the United States and we won’t be surprised if we start to see some local transmission of the virus”, he added.
Zika is transmitted through bites from infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which thrive in warmer temperatures.
According to the Center For Disease Control, about one in five people infected with the Zika virus actually develop the disease and become sick.
While the virus is fairly harmless in adults – symptoms include rash, fever, joint-pain and red eyes – Brazil’s outbreak coincided with a massive spike in microcephaly in babies. As a outcome, it has not been well studied; up until recently, it has not been a scientific priority.
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The Health Ministry says 3,530 babies have been born with microcephaly in the country since October. The condition can be caused by genetics, alcohol use during pregnancy or infections such as rubella.
