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Zika confirmed to cause brain defects in babies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced it is now absolutely confident that Zika causes microcephaly-a connection that was suspected but not proven.

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She said officials have expected to see travel-related cases of Zika and expect to see more. There is no vaccine for Zika, which generally causes a rash, fever and joint pain that can last from one week to 10 days, according to the CDC. Women and men living in the Zika-affected areas should take the necessary measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellant, avoiding standing water, installing proper screens in their homes to guard against the mosquitoes, and staying indoors as much as possible. But of hundreds of samples tested from Wisconsin travelers, none has been positive.

Kelso said mosquitoes in Vermont are not likely to transmit the disease.

Local transmission would require the presence of one of two invasive mosquito species known to transmit the virus from one person to another – the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Pregnant women should not travel to areas with active Zika transmission.

In Colombia, Zika’s Ro was between three and six, scientists at the Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira reported in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases.

Dr Khoo was speaking at the “Women Say No to Zika” seminar on Sunday (Apr 17) organised by the People’s Association.

“That’s really an individualized decision for each woman and her provider”, said Dr. Kathleen Antony, a UW Health gynecologist.

All of those cases have been associated with people who traveled outside the U.S.to places where the virus is more common.

At that meeting, researchers concluded that efforts must be increased to explore unknown factors about microcephaly and other congenital malformations that may be linked to infection by the Zika virus.

The case first came to light in January, as a Dallas man has been reported contracting the virus while traveling in Venezuela, wherein the virus is rife.

“The CDC is concerned these mosquitoes could be more aggressive than initially thought”, Pino said. “We haven’t found any human sequences in the mosquito in recent history”, says Valderramos.

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In February, the agency recommended that health care workers test pregnant women who may have been exposed to the virus.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This mosquito species and a similar one Aedes aegypti are known to transmit the Zika virus. (Courtesy of Jam