No Zika cases reported in area

The rapid spread of the Zika virus has raised interest in a British company that’s developed a genetically modified mosquito. The durable protection provided by Insect Shield is the result of years of research and testing.

“The other concern for north Queensland is because it’s spread by the same mosquito… that we have here in north Queensland there is a possibility that we could get local transmission”. Most symptoms are mild.

Aedes mosquitoes are now not found in Hong Kong, the Health Department said, but the secretary said that other species of mosquito present in the territory are also considered as possible carriers of the disease. The albopictus, also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, has been found in five counties. “Of course, mosquitoes do not fly across the ocean, but infected people can fly and do”. As the virus has been included in the list of legally notifiable diseases, all medical practitioners and diagnostic laboratories are required to notify MOH of suspect and confirmed cases of Zika virus infection within 24 hours, he reiterated. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO), which warned last week of the likelihood of the virus spreading to all countries in the Americas except Canada and Chile, has described the minister’s comments as “fatalistic”.

He suggested they may be entering the country via vehicle tyre grooves, which females had laid their eggs in, and in container ships filled with coffee. He can discuss surveillance and control for these diseases, factors that influence the spread of viral diseases into new areas, and tools and strategies for preventing insect-transmitted diseases.

For most Americans, what Zika – at least in our current understanding – has in common with Ebola is this: a remote risk of a horrendous outcome, which, in a quirk of human psychology, may translate into an instinctual, not entirely rational, panic.

Even though Brazil has been experiencing a drought, the water that residents are hoarding around their homes may have become a breeding ground for the pests, said Chris Barker, assistant adjunct professor in pathology, microbiology and immunology at UC Davis.

A GROUP that started at the University of Queensland could soon be at the forefront of stopping a global outbreak of mosquito- borne Zika virus, which causes birth defects. The situation will likely weigh heavily on many American woman, since the 2016 Olympics will be held in Brazil this summer.

Typically symptoms include low-grade fever, joint pain, a rash, conjunctivitis, headache, muscle and eye pain – but only 20 per cent of people show symptoms when infected.

No treatment or vaccine is available.

All it takes is the right mosquito, under the right conditions, to bite the right person. Aedes mosquitoes are aggressive biters and are usually most active during the day.

“If it can actually get into the other Aedes species, that can be huge, but there is no evidence at all that that is potential occurrence at this point”, he said.