As Zika looms, US health officials worry about the neighbors

(One person contracted the virus while studying it in a lab.) We haven’t had a local outbreak of our own, meaning that an infected mosquito hasn’t bitten someone within the 50 states.

The Zika outbreak began in Brazil and some health experts have called for the 2016 Olympics to be postponed.

Geography is also key in examining children’s risks from Zika.

The current Zika outbreak was first detected in Brazil past year, and public health officials estimate it could infect up to 4 million people in the Americas. With the Olympics there in August, should Nigerians and the rest of the world be concerned? To date, WHO, PAHO and 14 partners (out of the more than 60) have expressed funding needs in the combined amount of US$121.9 million to implement the revised plan from now until December 2017. One has to wonder if Guam Olympians are also feeling the fear spreading like a well spreading like a virus through the worldwide Olympic community. Zika is unlikely to be an issue in Rio is because August there is cooler and dryer – and not favourable to mosquitoes. Mosquito season there runs during its (Southern Hemisphere) summer, from about November or December to March.

As of June 20, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that all Zika cases reported in the US were acquired as a result of travel outside the country.

“There are a lot of people concerned, especially couples that are planning on having children or couples that are already pregnant”, he said.

What should concern the public about Zika virus contraction and transmission?

Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. It appeared to stop West Nile and the other viruses including Zika in their tracks – but without side effects on the human cells. Even if officials are able to reduce the number of infections by 10 to 30 percent, “every one of those infections is a tragedy prevented”.

Health officials recommend using bug spray and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and they urge the purging of standing water by emptying buckets, birdbaths, flower pots and the like to eliminate potential mosquito breeding grounds. But infection during pregnancy can cause fetal deaths and potentially devastating birth defects.

According to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Indonesia is now experiencing a sporadic outbreak of the virus so the government is urging pregnant women not to visit the country.

What symptoms should be public look out for?

Congress will be abdicating its core responsibility to the American people – public safety – if it breaks for a weeklong recess Friday without authorizing funds to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus, a Florida Republican said Monday. Generally symptoms include a low fever, a rash, joint pain, a headache and vomiting.

The virus, which usually causes only mild, flu-like symptoms, can also trigger adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death.

Many local doctors do not have the expertise to insert IUDs, and have not stocked them due to their high cost to patients. “Condoms can protect a pregnant woman from getting Zika from sex”.