The agency now monitors the pregnancies of at least 300 women in the US and Puerto Rico, who have been exposed to Zika. Given that you’ll likely want to make sure you’re as prepared and informed as possible (which is especially important for pregnant women) there are a few clues you can look out for to know if a mosquito could be carrying Zika.
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It is the first time this season that the city Health Department has detected the virus in mosquitoes found in New York City.
Quoted by Temp.co, Oscar Primadi of the Indonesian Health Ministry said, “Indonesia is not endemic to Zika and that “Indonesia is also not an infected area”. The discovery suggests a potential target for new drugs to fight Zika and other flaviviruses such as dengue and West Nile.
The virus might cause severe malformations in unborn babies and immune system disorders. On Thursday the CDC confirmed that since the start of the year, three babies with Zika-related birth defects have been born to US women who got the virus while traveling.
The Zika virus poses the most unsafe threat to expectant moms and their unborn babies, as it’s been linked to life-threatening birth defects, including microcephaly, or unusually small heads and undeveloped brains. And the CDC warns the type of mosquitoes that transmit the virus are already in the U.S. Others get a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes, and recover within a week.
“We found three ingredients that are safe for everyone to use, even pregnant women, and are very effective”, Calvo said, “and those are Deet, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and Picaridin”.
For adults, Zika usually causes only mild symptoms. “We can do our part from a public health standpoint, but we need everybody to get involved”, she said before Monday’s press conference. The CDC is monitoring over 420 pregnant women with confirmed or suspected Zika virus infections in the United States and its territories. Stay indoors during the early evening or early morning hours, when mosquitoes are most active.
Most parts of the USA don’t have the main mosquito – Aedes aegytpi – that transmits Zika.
Southern US states such as Mississippi, Texas and Florida that are home to the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the primary vector for Zika, have the highest risk of an outbreak, according to a Washington Post report.
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During the conference, Blumenthal said educating people to stop the proliferation of mosquitoes is a major step toward ending the spread of diseases like Zika. Measures include the use of insect repellents on exposed skin and where possible, wear light coloured long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, socks and shoes to minimize exposed skin.
