“At this time, we know that the best way to protect pregnant women from Zika is to delay travel to areas with ongoing Zika transmission”, Dr. Denise J. Jamieson, Chief, Women’s Health and Fertility Branch at CDC, said.
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Thus far, there have been over fifty cases of Zika in America, including approximately sixteen confirmed cases in NY.
Brazil has been most affected by the outbreak that has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Carribbean.
Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites.
If you do travel to an area in which Zika can be transmitted, there are some precautions that should be taken.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito lives largely inside homes and can lay eggs in even a bottle-cap’s worth of stagnant water. Symptoms include fever, a rash and body pain similar to a regular flu.
But those warnings ignore the fact that most pregnancies in the region are unplanned, poor women in these countries have little access to birth control, and many lack control over their own fertility because of a high rate of sexual violence. Microcephaly may not be detected until the end of the second trimester. “However, there is no need for panic or fear among the public about the virus but it is better to be prepared if we report any cases”.
There is now no cure or vaccine for Zika. The same day, Health Minister Marcelo Castro said Brazil will partner with researchers from the University of Texas to develop a Zika vaccine that could be ready for test trials within a year. This number has also risen considerably since last week, showing no hopes for a decline in the near future.
Rousseff said in brief comments to reporters that the Zika outbreak will not stop this year’s Olympic Games from being held in Rio de Janeiro as scheduled, starting on August 5.
However, the health agency said “the cause of the increase in GBS incidence… remains unknown, especially as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus have all been circulating simultaneously in the Americas”.
It has confirmed three deaths linked to the virus. USAID is one of the lead government entities that works overseas to help improve global health, help societies prevent and recover from conflicts, and more.
For a virus that seemed to come out of nowhere quickly, health organizations are reacting quickly.
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Athletes expected to take part in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio in August have expressed concern, and local officials have promised to fumigate venues.
