NZ ‘really fortunate’ with its protection against Zika virus – Health Ministry

China may be at risk of being affected by the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is spreading in the Americas, but the possibility of it spreading here is low as there are fewer mosquitoes in winter and spring, the country’s top health authority said on Friday. All three samples came from people who had recently traveled to countries where the Zika virus is widespread.

“There’s no worry that you will contract this virus in western Pennsylvania. we don’t have any evidence that the mosquitoes here have been infected”, Hacker said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned Zika is “spreading explosively”, predicting up to 4m cases this year.

But the virus can be very serious for women of child-bearing age. It causes newborns to be born with small heads, brain damage, and other developmental issues. Pregnant women who have not traveled are not at risk for contracting the virus. Since the outbreak in Brazil, the virus has spread to multiple countries in South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico.

While mosquitoes are the main source of transmission, but there are other possibilities, Taylor said.

Harris County just got a second confirmed case of the Zika virus, and this time the virus was found in a person within Houston city limits.

As people go about their daily lives, many “are concerned over the uncertainty of Zika”, says Tama.

Even though there have been no cases of Zika virus, which is being linked to birth defects, in the city, doctors say that the Aedes Aegypti mosquito is the same species that spreads dengue.

“Although it is now not a disease that must be reported, the Ministry of Health and Social Services remains attentive to the evolution of the situation in Quebec in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada”.

Sen. Blumenthal said it’s impractical to expect all pregnant women to avoid Latin America.

The apparent link between Zika and severe birth defects in children in Brazil still hasn’t been definitively proven but Chan says the threat is so high that she’s calling for an emergency committee to advise her on “the appropriate level of global concern and for recommended measures that should be undertaken in affected countries and elsewhere”. “The symptoms were mild – joint aches, rash, fever, headache”.

Hotels in the affected regions aren’t offering refunds, but Hilton says that it is considering cancellation waivers for those traveling to impacted areas on a case-by-case basis, reports USA Today.