Gov. Rick Scott has declared a health emergency in four counties due to the Zika virus. He has asked the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention for 1,000 kits to test for Zika antibodies, on top of about 500 the state already has.
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A major obstacle is Brazilian law, correspondents say, because it is technically illegal for Brazilian researchers and institutes to distribute genetic material, including blood samples containing Zika and other viruses.
‘The experts agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven… however members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of worldwide concern, ‘ commented Dr Chan.
Although the virus has not been found in local mosquitoes yet, we know there’s a number of human cases in Texas, with the most recent Dallas patient determined to have acquired the disease through sexual contact.
Professor Frederic Bartumeus believes the European Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is capable of transmitting the disease as well following a study of how the virus is spread in Gabon in 2007.
Brazil is hosting the Olympics in six months, however, news of the Games are being overshadowed by the spread of the Zika virus raising concerns that the event could be affected. Officials said they determined that one of the people whose donated blood was used in the transfusion had been infected with Zika. The first known case of Zika transmission in the United States during the current outbreak was reported in Texas on Tuesday.
Brazil has been the most heavily affected country but confirmed cases of the virus have also been noted across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says there are no approved tests for routine screening of blood donations for Zika virus, but it is looking into the issue.
The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition in newborns marked by abnormally small heads and brains that have not developed properly.
Only 20 percent of people who have the virus get symptoms.
Canadian blood agencies earlier Wednesday announced that anyone who had travelled to a Zika-risk area will be ineligible to give blood for three weeks upon their return.
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A mosquito-borne virus that’s been linked to birth defects is raising fears among some travelers to South America. It also has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system.
