Cuba sending 9000 soldiers to fight Zika virus

As a result, many people might not know they are infected with the virus.

– Cuban President Raul Castro announced Monday that he is dispatching 9,000 soldiers to help keep the Zika virus out of Cuba, calling on the entire country to fight the mosquito that carries the disease.

“There is a lot of anxiety out there, and people really want to understand what’s going on”, Priscila Leite, who leads the Health Ministry’s contingent, said, according to AP, adding that she expects the recruitment to be higher due to the increased concerns about Zika in Brazil. First identified in humans in 1952, Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that is transmitted by aedes mosquitos.

No Zika transmissions from mosquitoes in the United States have been reported, but there have been cases involving people who carried the disease back after traveling to other countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly.

However, researchers believe the virus is the likely factor behind a sharp rise in cases of microcephaly – newborns with abnormally small heads.

Debate is brewing over whether or not South Korea should loosen its abortion laws to allow the procedure for Zika-affected pregnant women should there be an outbreak of the virus in the country.

In January, public health officials in Hawaii reported the first case of a baby born with microcephaly potentially related to Zika. Brazil’s health minister has said he’s sure that Zika is causing the birth defect, but worldwide health agencies say there is not enough evidence to be certain. There is now no vaccine or treatment for the illness, therefore the best way to prevent it is to eliminate or reduce the vector’s presence, and protect ourselves from these insect bites.

The FDA announcement followed a similar move by the American Red Cross last week, in which the organization asked potential blood donors who have traveled to Zika-affected areas to wait 28 days before giving blood. Dr. Stewart Shofner shares information linking the Zika virus to future vision issues for infants. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that pregnant women with a male partner who has traveled to, or lives in, an area where Zika infection is active should refrain from sex or use condoms during sex until the pregnancy is over.

The Daily Wildcat: What is the Zika virus and what are some signs and symptoms to watch out for?

“Having the data at this point in time are very critically important for understanding the impact Zika might be having in the future and as it spreads in the region”, says J.