Pennsylvanians urged to read Zika virus travel advisories

“The thing we have to understand is there is no Zika virus transmission in the United States as of today”, said Dawd Siraj, the Infectious Diseases program director at ECU.

The CDC says a mosquito that bites an infected person can then transmit the virus to others.

WHO will convene an emergency committee meeting to discuss the Zika virus next Monday to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of global concern.

Only one in five people who contract the disease express any symptoms, which include joint paint, fever and a rash.

Brazil is seeing a wave of such birth defects.

Nadda called for increased focus on prevention to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito that breeds in clean water. The CDC recommends drinking fluids, getting rest and taking acetaminophen medicines, such as Tylenol, to relieve your fever and pain. The absence of vaccines, specific treatments and rapid diagnostic tests for the disease means it has the potential to spread internationally.

Where are the infected mosquitoes?

Experts predict they could be as many as 4 million cases of the virus in Latin America in the next year.

“There’s primarily 20 countries in Central America, South America and the Carribean”, Smit explained.

Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and fatalities are rare.

New York City health officials say three New Yorkers have contracted the Zika virus. In terms of a vaccine, Gorski says, “We’re at ground zero with research for Zika virus”. There has been one case reportedly spread through sexual contact.

What should I do if I’m pregnant and just returned from an area where outbreaks have occurred? “Pregnant women, as well as women who wish to become pregnant and who are planning to travel to areas where the virus is circulating, should discuss their plans with a health professional”. Though the virus is thought to only be seriously harmful to pregnant women because of the effect it can have on fetuses, many are wondering: if the virus can harm unborn babies, can the Zika virus harm toddlers?