Zika virus will be ‘way down’ before Rio hosts Olympics

Health officials in Oakland County are preparing to fight Zika virus in case it spreads to the type of mosquito that inhabits MI.

An estimated 1.5 million people have been infected by the Zika virus in Brazil.

Other viruses acquired during pregnancy are known to cause microcephaly, so it would not be surprising if Zika infection did, as well. For the virus to spread, mosquitoes of the Aedes genus must take a blood meal from a human who has the virus and then bite another human, thereby transmitting the virus to them.

As of February 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported travel-related Zika infections in 21 other states as well as the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the NCDHHS. For those who do, it’s usually a mild illness with symptoms including fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.

Farnsworth says there is no vaccination against the Zika Virus.

Several dozen cases have been reported across the United States, mainly in people who traveled to countries where the virus has been spreading.

These initial projections of the economic impact of the disease are based on the expectation of “a swift, well-coordinated worldwide response to the Zika virus” and on the assumption that the most significant health risks are for pregnant women, the bank noted.

“Brazil is going to have a fantastic Olympics and it’s going to be a successful Olympics and the world is going to go there”, Bruce Aylward, senior official for WHO’s Zika response team said at a news conference.

In what experts describe as another piece of evidence linking Zika with the risk of birth defects, researchers on Wednesday reported finding the virus in the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women whose fetuses were diagnosed with microcephaly.

The CDC has issued a travel advisory recommending pregnant women consider postponing travel to any area with active Zika virus transmission.

U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Liliana Ayalde attends a meeting on measures taken to combat the mosquito that carries the Zika virus, at the Pan American Health Organization headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016.

Travelers can protect themselves by wearing insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, wearing long-sleeved shirts and trousers and using air conditioning or making sure window and door screens are in place.