Tweel, who serves as chair of the Gloucester Mosquito Control Commission, said that members of the Aedes species can’t be readily controlled through the widespread spraying of large areas of land. This year, there’s a new, scarier player in town: Zika virus has been spreading at an alarming pace, bringing with it increased rates of microcephaly in fetuses and neurological disorders among those infected.
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Zika is from the same family of viruses as Dengue and West Nile Virus which are transmitted by the same types of mosquitoes found in South America, Latin America and the Caribbean, but sexual transmission of the virus has also been documented.
“Washington needs to quickly find common ground on this growing public health situation”, said Legacy CEO Katy Caldwell. Symptoms – which might include a fever, a rash, joint and muscle pain, headache, and red eyes – are generally mild and some won’t even know they’ve been infected.
Speaking to the Globe And Mail, Patrick says 635 people from B.C. have been tested for Zika virus in recent months, with the seven positive cases amounting to about one per cent of the people tested.
State health workers will get a crash course on the mosquito-born Zika virus on Wednesday as more cases are expected to hit the United States in coming weeks and the weather gets warmer.
The Zika virus carrier, the mosquito Aedes aegypti, is present in at least 30 states in the country.
Check-in time for this free seminar is 6 p.m. The featured speaker, Dr. Cecilia Trujillo, MD of the Palisades Women’s Group, will discuss the many symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options available for pregnant women and women of childbearing.
The health department’s “fight the bite” campaign urges people to take precautions, such as wearing long sleeves and repairing screens or windows to keep mosquitoes out of their homes to avoid Zika and other diseases. “However, Rhode Islanders who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant should avoid travel to countries where there is active transmission of the virus”.
“The current status of diagnostic testing for Zika is alarming”, said Tim Murphy, Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee Chairman, in a March 29 letter to HHS.
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The Georgetown University doctor who urged world leaders to take the Zika virus more seriously past year encouraged Arkansans to do the same on Monday during a speech at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. “These helpful tips are listed on our website and the CDC website”. I am confident that we will be equally successful in preventing the spread of Zika.
