Iowa resident tests positive for Zika virus

The case involves an adult who recently traveled to a country with ongoing Zika virus transmission, department officials said Friday.

The Zika outbreak, which originated in Latin America past year, has already infected over 1.5 million people with most local transmissions occurring in Brazil and elsewhere in Central and South America. She would not say what symptoms the patient suffered. In rare cases, it can be transmitted through sexual activity or blood transfusion, Metro Health said.

Williams said the Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Health Ontario, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and other national and worldwide partners have been working with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to monitor the virus.

“We have anticipated all along that travel-related cases would be identified in North Carolina”, said Dr. Megan Davies, the state epidemiologist.

Meanwhile, “the virus is considered guilty until proven innocent”, Aylward said, stressing “the need to be super aggressive” in trying to rein in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries Zika and also dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Brazilian scientists said this week that they found links between Zika and the birth defect after conducting tests on pregnant women who are carrying the infection, although “further research is urgently needed” to ascertain if the virus is the definite cause. The CDC has recommended that pregnant women consider postponing travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission.

The virus is transmitted through a mosquito bite, and symptoms can include rash, red eyes, fever and joint pain.

“Given the frequency of travel between South Africa and a number of countries now experiencing outbreaks of the Zika virus, it is likely that other sporadic imported cases will be seen here in travellers as has been the experience in a number of countries”. Approximately one in five people infected with the virus show symptoms.

The disease has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and had also spread to almost 30 countries.

The Oakland County Health Division on Friday released a list of measures it is taking as a precaution against the Zika spread.

Pregnant women are advised to delay travel to Zika-affected areas.

“We have no doubt that the epidemic of microcephaly that we are seeing in Brazil is caused by the Zika virus outbreak”, Castro told reporters on the sidelines of Thursday’s meeting.