US health officials also say that some 200 million people live in areas that, come summer, might be conducive to the spread of the virus.
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The test can distinguish Zika from dengue and chikungunya, two similar viruses carried by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito, said Marco Krieger, a molecular biologist and technical director of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation’s production facility in Curitiba, in southern Brazil. Abstaining from sex during a pregnancy is one option. In Dallas, a person contracted the virus after having sex with someone who had traveled from Venezuela. Researchers do not yet know how long the virus stays in semen. “We hope that local and expect local transmission will not become widespread”, said Frieden.
In the home, ensure that you take measures to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes by practising the five-step Mozzie Wipeout on a weekly basis. Pregnant women should discuss their male partner’s potential exposures to mosquitoes and history of Zika-like illness (http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms) with their health care provider; providers can consult CDC’s guidelines for evaluation and testing of pregnant women.
Most people with the virus have no symptoms, or experience only mild symptoms like fever, headache and rash. Pregnant women with no symptoms should get a test when they get their next prenatal visit.
But because there is no vaccine or treatment specific to Zika virus, CDC says it’s best to take precautions against being bitten. One of those infected is a pregnant woman. We are quite literally discovering more about it each day.
In Virginia, a mother of three from Harrisonburg says she has been diagnosed with the first known case in the state.
The NEA has said that it will increase vector control activities in the event that a case is detected, while anyone infected with the disease will be given a single room when admitted to a public hospital. However, the World Health Organization declared Zika was a “public health emergency of global concern” because it has been linked to severe birth abnormalities.
Frieden’s remarks ushered in two sets of guidelines on the Zika virus, which has been blamed for a swell of microcephaly cases – a fetal development disorder – in Brazil. “It’s sort of a mystery”, he said adding that either Colombia will start seeing microcephaly cases soon, or there are factors in Brazil that predispose patients to it that do not exist in Colombia. In addition, the revised guidelines address testing for women who reside in areas where Zika is spreading.
Doctors should talk to women of childbearing age about strategies to prevent unintended pregnancy when Zika is a risk, including approaches to family planning and the correct and consistent use of effective contraceptive methods.
The first cases were reported in Brazil in May 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“No doubt many more travelers will return to the US with Zika infections”, Frieden said. Several Latin American nations have urged women to postpone pregnancies.
