New CDC Guidelines on Zika-Use Condoms and Test Pregnant Women

Frieden offered his strongest comments yet about the link between the insect-borne virus and the birth defect microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and cognitive problems.

Other labs, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, must now confirm the Fiocruz finding, Gupta said.

“We’re not aware of any mosquito disease associated with such a potential devastating birth outcome on a scale anything like what appears to be occurring with Zika in Brazil”, Frieden said. There were several cases in Texas of people traveling from Latin America as well as a case where a person who contracted Zika outside the USA transmitted it to another person through sexual contact.

USA health officials on Friday suggested people who live in or have traveled to areas affected by the Zika virus outbreak should use condoms or stop having sex.

Feb 5, 2016- Spain has confirmed that a pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus – the first such case in Europe.

“Regardless of the trimester of pregnancy, women who are pregnant should not travel to areas with Zika”, reiterated Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.

Doctors at the University of Campinas hospital became concerned about Zika when the gunshot victim had abnormal blood work after spending months at the facility.

As many as 3 million to 4 million people across the Americas will be infected with the virus in the next year, World Health Organization has estimated.

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff said Thursday Brazil and the United States are working together to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus, but warned it might take some time.

A Rockland woman who recently traveled to South America has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, officials said Friday. “We’ll just have to wait and see”.

“Aedes mosquitoes are not found in Western Australia, so there is no recognised risk of the virus spreading here”.

The virus was deemed active, meaning that it was able to cause infection, but the scientists stressed that it was too early to say whether Zika could be transmitted by either fluid.

“Pregnant women should consider avoiding travel to countries with the Zika virus – or if travel is unavoidable, they ought to seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip”.