Third case of Zika virus confirmed in Snohomish County

Texas officials say there have been 90 confirmed cases of travel-related Zika in Texas.

A woman infected with Zika during the first trimester of her pregnancy has up to a 13 percent chance of delivering a baby with microcephaly, a condition in which the virus destroys some of the babys brain cells, leaving the cerebral cortex malformed and underdeveloped.

U.S. Rep. David Price, a North Carolina Democrat who supports more funding, attended a Research Triangle Park discussion on Zika where he said researchers told him Congress’ “shortsighted and politicized strategy continues to frustrate their efforts”.

The free tests announced by the governor are only available at county health departments and do not apply to physicians in private practice. He said DOH will start providing the tests elsewhere in the state soon. “This funding will allow us to track any cases of microcephaly, other birth defects, or other adverse consequences connected to Zika virus that may not present right at or shortly after birth and ensure that those children receive the services they will need throughout their lives”.

The mosquitoes spreading Zika in Miami are proving harder to eradicate than expected, the nation’s top disease-fighter said Tuesday as authorities sprayed clouds of insecticide in the ground-zero neighborhood, emptied kiddie pools and handed out cans of insect repellent to the homeless.

Athenahealth, which specializes in electronic health records, says it’s proactively reaching out to patients and has partnered with a local community health center to call and email patients who may be at risk and encourage them to get tested.

The CDC says that 1,658 cases have been reported nationwide.

Doctors say phones are ringing off the hook with questions from anxious pregnant women or women thinking about becoming pregnant.

Mosquito control experts said that’s no surprise to them, describing the Aedes aegypti mosquito as a “little ninja” capable of hiding in tiny crevices, sneaking up on people’s ankles, and breeding in just a bottle cap of standing water. “We don’t yet know a ton about the long term immunity for this disease”.