Zika virus: China confirms first case

Approximately $200 million of funds will go to research to develop a vaccine and diagnostic tests.

Asian giant, China, with a population of over 1.3 billion, has confirmed its first case of the dreaded Zika virus.

Zika is transmitted by mosquitoes and is tied to birth abnormalities in newborns.

“We’re not aware of any prior mosquito-borne disease associated with such a potentially devastating birth outcome on a scale anything like appears to be occurring with Zika in Brazil”, Frieden added. And because the virus is spread mostly through mosquitoes, trying not to get bitten is the best way to avoid the virus.

On Feb. 5, the government of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency as confirmed Zika cases climbed to 22.

In the USA 54 people have been infected with the Zika virus, but health officials say all but one of those cases were acquired while out of the country.

He said the Health Ministry also has reached vaccine partnerships with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is looking to work with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline because of its role developing a vaccine against Ebola after a deadly outbreak in West Africa in 2014.

“I know that the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil is of concern to many of you”, Blackmun wrote.

Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said later Thursday that the House would act on the Zika spending request, though he said Republicans would search for spending cuts elsewhere in the budget to cover the cost and would “scrub” it for unnecessary items.

The latest case “was communicated to the World Health Organization [WHO] and we are studying it in more depth because we have just received the information”, Health Minister Marcelo Castro said during a news conference.

Kristin Weivoda, Yolo County’s emergency medical services administrator, would not disclose the identity or sex of the infected person or where he or she had traveled to. Asked by lawmakers, Frieden responded, “If this behaves as other viruses behave, there would be no risk to the next pregnancy after some period of a month or so, but we don’t know that for sure”.

President Barack Obama said the Zika virus should not cause people to panic. Earlier today, Toni Minichiello, the coach of reining heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, said Bitain should move its preparation camp for the Rio Games outside Brazil and that he would not encourage his client to defend her title.

The World Health Organisation has urged European countries to act swiftly to fend off the mosquito-borne virus Zika, suspected of causing a surge in brain damaged babies in South America.

Most of the money would go to improving laboratory testing capacity, education and establishing rapid response teams. At this point, however, the CDC’s guidance to pregnant women does not include anything about kissing, he said.

“The vaccine is not a Brazilian concern, but global”, he said.