Photo of mosquito, which can carry the Zika virus.
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Following confirmation of Argentina’s first zika case, a Colombian woman who contracted the disease outside the Southern Cone country, a health expert told EFE there was no longer a risk of her transmitting the disease to others and triggering an outbreak. The virus spreads through mosquito bites, with the most common symptoms being fever, rash and joint pain. But officials are studying whether some severe birth defects can be linked to an infection during pregnancy. “The average American will probably not contact, or have the opportunity to acquire this virus, except through their travel”.
In Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that Zika is spreading “explosively” and could affect as many as four million people in the Americas. That’s all to the good: Those mosquitoes also spread dengue fever and yellow fever, plagues of poor nations that kill tens of thousands yet until now have failed to attract the resources or attention needed to eradicate them.
While there is no evidence the Zika virus can be passed human to human, there have been reports the virus has been isolated in human blood and semen. The US is anxious about visitors to the Olympics this year picking up the virus and spreading it in the US in their summer.
But condoms should be used for six months “following recovery if a clinical illness compatible with Zika virus infection or laboratory confirmed Zika virus infection” has been reported.
Since Zika virus started gaining worldwide attention a year ago, it has spread to more than 23 countries in the Americas according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to Dr. Loren K. Robinson, deputy secretary for health promotion and disease prevention at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the potentially infected individuals all recently traveled to a Zika-affected area and are now exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
That said, the state will likely see cases of infected residents who got the disease while traveling.
For that reason, the risk to Canadians is “very low”, although becoming infected during travel is possible, said Greg Taylor, Canada’s chief public health officer.
“However, if a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller”.
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FIJI and other Pacific Islands have been cautioned about the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
