Zika Virus: What East Texans should know

The virus is passed on to humans by mosquitoes.

“Though mosquitoes are not now active in New York City, we have already started a comprehensive response to Zika virus”, said Dr. Palacio.

Zika – which has soared in many Caribbean, Latin and South American countries – is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which has yet to be found in the US.

Zika originated in Africa and parts of Asia. That means Zika and the other diseases linked to the carriers are real possibilities, said Kelly Middleton of the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.

Mr Gan said on Thursday (Jan 28) that the presence of the Aedes mosquito vector here is one reason for his assessment.

Although no one has yet contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus in South Florida, history shows a familiar pattern.

Much like the state does for dengue and chikungunya, the state Department of Health and Hospitals is in communications with emergency rooms and physicians in the state and have a network of ways to detect if anything resembling Zika arrives in the state.

“Through outreach and public education efforts, we encourage residents to prevent mosquito breeding by eliminating standing water in and around their homes”, Francisco Calderon, the spokesman for Miami-Dade Public Works, said Tuesday in an email.

The biggest concern with the virus is with pregnant women.

There is, however, a lot of questions that remain, especially since there is still no definitive proof Zika is directly responsible for fetal abnormalities or miscarriage.

“The whole world needs to be on high alert now”, Dr. Rocha said. We do know it can affect all three trimesters.

The Zika virus is the latest virus to cross continental borders and extend its reach, infecting worldwide populations.

If the Aedes mosquitoes are eventually found in Ventura County and become widespread, concern would be warranted but not fear, said Levin. “They just need standard prenatal care where we would do an ultrasound to look for the specific abnormalities that we see associated with this”.

Pregnant women, who can transmit the virus during pregnancy or at the time of birth, are most at risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, doctors in many areas are advising pregnant women to wear insect repellent and long sleeves during daylight hours, but many Brazilian doctors have advised women to avoid pregnancies altogether, until the spread of the Zika virus can be controlled.

But the virus that may cause brain damage in infants is being spread in more than 20 regions and countries, including Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.