Child In Hawaii Born With Birth Defect Linked To Zika Virus

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed three cases of Zika virus in Florida, including two in Miami-Dade County.

About 80 percent of people infected with the virus do not show symptoms, but for those who do, the symptoms include acute fever onset, maculopapular rash, conjunctivitis and joint pains or arthralgia. “Pregnant women should be advised that they may not want to travel to areas with ongoing transmission but if they do, they should take measures to avoid mosquito bites”, she said.

The Health Ministry has monitored more than 9,200 suspected cases of the virus, including more than 200 pregnant women, 14 of whom were confirmed to have been infected with Zika. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already issued a travel alert to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Roco, Suriname and Venezuela, per the CDC website.

Zika virus continues to be a cause for concern, especially now that the virus has been detected in the United States.

The Zika virus is spread when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites someone else. The virus is circulating via mosquitoes in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. According to US health authorities, one baby with the zika-related birth defect has been born on USA soil.

On Friday, officials reported of the first case of a US baby born with a birth defect likely linked to the virus. Asian tiger mosquitoes, which can carry the chikungunya virus, started turning up in Champaign County in 2011 and have also been found in Vermilion County.

Dr. Hammers says if you bought a plane ticket to one of the countries the CDC is recommending pregnant women not travel to you might be able to get a refund with a doctor’s note.

Microcephaly, of which the newborn’s head size is smaller than expected, often means that the infant’s brain is smaller and might not have developed properly, according to Cynthia Moore, MD, PhD, the director of the CDC’s Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

There is now no vaccine or preventative medicine for the Zika virus.

“If you’re going to be traveling to areas where there are Zika virus infections, then you want to do extra precautions”, said Dr. Karpovs.

Officials say doctors should ask pregnant women about their travel and certain symptoms, and – if warranted – test them for an infection with the Zika virus.