Pregnant women on alert as mosquito-borne Zika virus rapidly spreads

A man who traveled to South America has developed the third case of Zika virus in IL.

Taylor stressed that while Zika has an association with microcephaly – a condition where a baby is born with an abnormally small head – it has not been proven yet.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued an advisory outlining basic information about the outbreak of Zika virus in Central and South America, the concerns around Zika virus infection in pregnant women, and recommendations.

They prefer, instead, that patients look and listen to the clinic’s message and avoid the risk. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is like dengue and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes.

People infected with Zika are not affected as badly as the other viruses carried by the mosquito in terms of symptoms. Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries Zika virus which is suspected to cause brain damage in babies.

Thirty-one cases of Zika virus have been identified in the United States, Xinhua reported on Friday.

Around half a million people are believed to have travelled to Zika-infected countries in the last six months, according to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Countries on the CDC’s warning list include Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde, Samoa, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

DSHS recommends travelers avoid mosquito bites while overseas and for seven days after returning, in case they have been exposed to Zika virus. He says the mosquito that carries the virus is not established in Canada and is not adapted to the country’s climate. Many women, especially those living far away from large cities, find it hard to find legal abortion providers.

Colombia and other Latin American countries have advised women to delay getting pregnant for the moment.