Health officials report first case of Zika virus in Maryland

Top health officials in the United States said evidence of the Zika virus found in two Brazilian babies with microcephaly is the strongest connection yet between the disease and the birth defect.

Dr. Indu Gupta, the Onondaga County health commissioner, said there have been three documented cases of Zika in New York State so far but admits there are more.

The department said that two samples obtained from the individuals tested possible for Zika, a virus usually spread by mosquitos that was declared last week by the World Health Organization as an global public health emergency.

The pair of miscarriages is likely to raise the level of fear within the US, which had seen a total of 51 cases – including one pregnant woman – as of last week.

Earlier this month, US health officials advised pregnant women to postpone visits to Brazil and other countries in the region with outbreaks. In Brazil alone, about 4,000 babies were born in 2015 with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads.

The WHO has reassured pregnant women in areas affected by Zika that most will give birth to “normal infants”. With Zika virus now spreading rampantly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling expectant mothers and women planning to get pregnant – to avoid travel to 30 destinations in Latin America, including lots of popular Caribbean islands.

Kipchoge Keino said: “We are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels”.

The disease causes a range of symptoms including joint pain and high fevers. A second resident is also being tested for the virus. According to the CDC, about only one in five people will display symptoms.

“That’s why the department is doing absolutely everything they can to ensure that this woman receives all of the support and the care that she needs during this extremely hard period”. These mosquitoes are the same species that transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses which have also been associated with travel-related illness over the past few years.

Researchers hope to develop a vaccine by the end of this year, but it could take “a number of years” to complete clinical trials, he said.