US officials advise doctors about tests for Zika

Previously, CDC issued a travel alert (Level 2-Practice Enhanced Precautions) for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a US territory; Barbados; Bolivia; Brazil; Cape Verde; Colombia; Ecuador; El Salvador; French Guiana; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Martinique; Mexico; Panama; Paraguay; Saint Martin; Samoa; Suriname; and Venezuela.

Health officials had already found that the Zika virus was being transmitted between mosquitoes and people in Puerto Rico, where the 19 cases were found. It was not clear how numerous cases came from travel.

However, pregnant women who contract Zika are at risk of delivering a child with a birth defect in which the baby’s brain has not developed properly and the child’s head is smaller than normal.

Virginia and Arkansas both reported cases Tuesday in travelers who have returned from other countries. Hospitalization is rare, according to the CDC.

“We don’t know how it spreads, we don’t know even where the mosquito does get the virus from”, he said.

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It also confirmed the virus had been detected in semen and there were was “one case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission” but further evidence was still needed.

The virus is expected to make its way to every country in the Americas except for Chile and Canada.

The National Travel Health Network and Centre said pregnant women should “consider avoiding travel” to areas with outbreaks. In the past few months, that country has seen 3,500 microcephaly cases, compared to 150 cases, which is the norm.

Five more babies have died in Brazil due to the Zika virus, the government announced on Wednesday. If symptoms do occur, they are usually mild and last around two to seven days. “If travel can not be postponed, then strict mosquito bite prevention measures should be followed to protect themselves against bites”, the agency said.

“The big task is to try to establish the link, what is the link, is it Zika alone is it Zika with something else together?” said Christian Lindmeier of the World Health Organization. However, it may be harmful for pregnancies, as it’s been linked to birth defects – specifically, abnormally small heads (microcephaly). Pregnant women with any questions should reach out to their physicians.

Collins said the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease is conducting studies to more fully understand the effects of Zika in humans, and to develop better diagnostic tests to quickly determine if someone has been infected.