Bexar County Residents Being Tested for Zika Virus

In a high-level meeting headed by health minister J P Nadda on Friday, the ministry chose to constitute a technical committee to monitor the situation arising out of the spread of the Zika virus and strengthen surveillance systems against it. Experts say India needs to be on alert specifically because Aedes mosquito is present in the country and can be spread by those travelling from affected countries.

World Health Organization officials say determining whether there really is a link will take at least six months and that it could be at least a year before there’s a vaccine.

“China has made huge progress in technologies and acts more swiftly in response to any outbreak of infectious disease 12 years after the SARS outbreak”, He said.

Zika, linked to severe birth defects including babies born with abnormally small heads, is wreaking havoc in Brazil where the government has deployed more than 200,000 troops to eradicate mosquitoes. Between 2007-14, 14 travelers tested positive for the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus’ symptoms tend to be slight, and include fever, rash, pain or conjunctivitis.

He said there have been a few reports suggesting the possibility that Zika can be transmitted through blood transfusions or sex.

Almost half of Colombia’s Zika cases have been reported in the country’s Caribbean region, the bulletin said.

The Zika virus has mothers everywhere concerned about their health, especially the ones with family in South America.

The officials said the number of pregnant women confirmed to have the zika virus has shot up to about 1900.

The Zika virus is transmitted by bites by the Aedes species of mosquito and has been linked to microcephaly in thousands of babies in Brazil.

A World Health Organisation has convened a special emergency committee, due to meet in Geneva on Monday, to consider a further upscaling of the risk posed by Zika. It was subsequently realized that one of the samples was infected by the Zika virus. But for right now, you can rest assured that there is no current outbreak in the U.S. However, with three confirmed cases of people bringing the virus spread through mosquitos from Central and South America to the Houston area, there is concern.