Illinois health officials report 3rd case of Zika virus

“The mosquito responsible for transmission in areas of Latin America and the Caribbean is aedis aegypti which is a mosquito species that we do not see here”.

What if I am pregnant and have to travel to a Zika-affected region?

Photo of mosquito, which can carry the Zika virus. The Zika virus has not been considered a major threat because 4 in 5 people infected by a mosquito do not develop symptoms at all. Others may also experience joint and muscle pains, fatigue or headaches. The symptoms start two to seven days after an infected mosquito bites them.

The virus, which is believed to be causing deformities in children if contracted by pregnant women, is spreading rapidly around the world. Health authorities in Brazil have also reported an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome.

There are now no vaccines available, with doctors required to help patients get rest and drink lots of fluid. You should not take aspirin, ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs until you are certain you don’t have dengue, another disease spread through the same mosquitoes.

It’s transmitted through infected mosquitos.

The World Health Organization has raised a global alert because the disease has spread in Brazil and 22 countries in the Americas.

The virus was first discovered in Uganda in 1947, and over the next several decades was found throughout Africa and Asia.

Mosquitoes carrying the disease aren’t able to survive in Canada, but they are spreading in Central and South America.

According to the United Nations health agency, the risk of Zika-infected travellers entering Europe is increasing.

A year ago six cases were reported and 57 in 2014.

There are sensible steps to take against the Zika virus, or similar outbreaks in the future.

The closest state to our area affected right now is Florida.

There is no known cure or vaccine.

“Any time you have a condition and there’s no treatment”, Robinson said, “prevention becomes the primary mainstay”.

The IDPH recommends anyone who does travel uses an insect repellent, wears long sleeves and trousers, and stays in places with air conditioning or window and door screens. Though the virus is thought to only be seriously harmful to pregnant women because of the effect it can have on fetuses, many are wondering: if the virus can harm unborn babies, can the Zika virus harm toddlers?