Zika virus not threatens Georgia

To keep up with news about the Zika virus, NPR has compiled a timeline which it is updating as needed.

Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly.

Health officials in Brazil have dismissed claims that a larvicide could be responsible for a rise in cases of microcephaly, and not Zika virus. “Speaking about the treatment, there is no vaccine for Zika, although a race to develop one is underway”, said Gamkrelidze.

Meanwhile, the students of Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research in Pune will be preparing a “case definition” on Zika virus to understand the current scenario in the state and bring in the control measures for the virus.

“It was a day of action” on which federal, state and municipal governments united “without partisan colors” against a problem that “threatens everyone”, Health Minister Marcelo Castro said at a press conference regarding the day of activities to fight Zika, dengue fever and Chikungunya, all transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. For the first time a mosquito-borne virus was discovered in the 1940s in rhesus monkeys in Uganda.

The infection is associated with birth defects, including microcephaly, a condition where the baby’s is smaller than what it should be for babies of the same age and gender. The illness is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but investigators have been exploring the likelihood of sexually transmission of the virus.

The campaign “Zika Zero” was initiated by the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and more than two dozen cabinet members. However based on recent reports, it seems like the virus is more of a threat than what was initially assumed. Most people won’t experience the disease’s mild symptoms, which include rash and joint pain, but health officials are anxious about a possible link between Zika infections in pregnant women and severe birth defects.

If you’re pregnant and planning to travel to a country that’s been infected with the Zika virus, consider postponing your travel.