The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has confirmed the first two cases of zika virus disease in Saint Lucia.
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An invasion by the mosquito-borne Zika virus is at least possible in the Philadelphia region in the coming months, Montgomery County health officials said Thursday.
She said while the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil was now making worldwide headlines, the country was also battling diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya. Referring to the protocol which Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said had been put in place to guide the monitoring and treatment of pregnant patients diagnosed with Zika, the former minister said it was something that the public “were yet to see”.Dr. De Alba said the Zika Virus is transmitted through mosquitoes in South America.
To date, according to county communicable disease and prevention Director Julie Paoline, there have been 312 confirmed cases of Zika virus in the United States. Researchers said yesterday they have found a way to fashion a cheap mosquito trap out of old tyres that can collect thousands of eggs that may carry the Zika virus.
Brazil said it has confirmed more than 940 cases of microcephaly, and considers most to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. This invention can significantly decrease the mosquito populations to cut down the spread of Zika Virus. But the mosquitoes capable of spreading Zika live in parts of the U.S. And while experts don’t expect an epidemic here, they worry that small clusters of cases are likely, particularly in Florida or Texas, if the insects bite returning travelers and then someone else.
However, they caution about the still-unknown degree of sexual transmission of Zika. It also has said men who have recently traveled to an area where Zika is present and have a partner who is pregnant or may become pregnant should avoid sex or use a condom. This includes trying to quantify what the risk is for pregnant women and others. “We have an opportunity, before there’s a case, to get people to worry where they need to and not where they don’t”, SteelFisher said.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced the Zika virus causes microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head develops smaller than expected, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks nerves.
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In February, the World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emergency of worldwide concern. As we know more information about Zika virus, ADH expects our recommendations to continue to be updated. To take precautions, I am covering myself with bug spray, wearing long clothing and employing other preventive measures recommended by the CDC, but many people around me are not as concerned.
