CDC offers Zika virus guidelines, docs should ask about travel

The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that three people – two of whom are in Miami-Dade County -contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus while visiting South America.

On Tuesday, Illinois said two pregnant women tested positive for the virus after traveling to countries where Zika is found. Physicians are monitoring their health and pregnancies.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert last Friday advising pregnant women to avoid travelling to Brazil and other Latin American and Caribbean countries where outbreaks of Zika have been registered.

Pregnant women also should be tested for Zika virus if they have traveled to an area with Zika virus transmission and they have an ultrasound that shows microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby’s head is abnormally small.

Common symptoms of Zika include fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes, the IDPH reports, and symptoms can continue between several days to weeks.

The Centers for Disease Control this week issued a health advisory warning pregnant women to postpone travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Although the illness is usually mild and hospitalization is uncommon, there is a possible link between Zika infection and birth defects. The Zika virus is spread when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites someone else.

“The same kinds of mosquitoes that transmit this virus are found in Louisiana, in southern parts of the United States and so there may be infections that can happen in our country as well”, said Dr. Karpovs. None of the residents are pregnant women.

Mosquitoes carrying Zika have turned up across the Americas and the Caribbean.

A baby recently born in Hawaii was reportedly infected with Zika virus during pregnancy and now has microcephaly.

The CDC’s warning to pregnant women is clear: If you have the symptoms, see a doctor and get tested for an infection.

“Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite both indoors and outdoors, mostly during the daytime; therefore, it is important to ensure protection from mosquitoes throughout the entire day”, CDC noted.

Researchers in Brazil are working on a vaccine to prevent the virus but there is no treatment available.

An unusual number of babies were born with microcephaly- as many as 3,500 so far, according to the World Health Organization. In particular, pregnant women who have a fever should be treated with acetaminophen.

Health officials in Jamaica have advised women to delay pregnancy for six to 12 months while in Brazil officials have been telling women to consider not falling pregnant until more is known about the dangers to newborns.