Although mosquitoes have been widely identified as the primary way the virus moves, both Burwell and Murthy reiterated that people are the biggest transmitters.
Advertisement
Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented the spread of Zika virus in almost 50 countries and territories including Central and South Americas, and the Caribbean Islands. Late last week, Florida health officials said they were investigating a second possible case of locally transmitted Zika infection.
CDC’s been watching more than 400 known cases of Zika-affected pregnancies in the US, plus another 378 in USA territories such as Puerto Rico.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri delegate to the Democratic National Convention says leaked emails indic.
New CDC research also allows for longer testing periods for pregnant women, who may show signs of the Zika virus.
That’s based on their projections of how many people could become infected within these areas battling outbreaks of the disease.
On July 13, officials in Harris County said a baby had been born with a Zika-related birth defect. If their sex partner has traveled to or resides in an area with active Zika virus transmission, they should abstain from sex or use condoms or other barrier methods to prevent infection. Cases of the Zika virus recorded in the United States have been associated from travelling to countries where there is ongoing Zika virus transmission. Officials with BCHD have not found evidence of Zika-infected mosquitoes in the local area at this time.
Some disease experts say they are reluctant to say the worst of the outbreak has passed in Colombia, particularly with mosquito season due to resume in the country within a few months, and the many unknowns surrounding the first mosquito-borne virus that can also be transmitted through sexual contact.
For pregnant women who visit their healthcare provider after the 14 day testing window, a test that indicates the presence of a virus in the family of viruses that includes Zika should be performed first and those who test positive should then receive a Zika-specific blood testing.
In an earlier European case, in Slovenia, a Zika-infected mother apparently chose to have an abortion after learning that her foetus showed signs of microcephaly.
Advertisement
Ruíz said the numbers signalled that the epidemic had given way to an endemic phase of the disease, in which it continues to be present but spreads much more slowly. “In published reports, the longest interval after symptom onset that sexual transmission from a man might have occurred was 32-41 days”.
