USOC to hire infectious disease specialists for Zika

Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced finding Zika genetic material in brain tissue from two Brazilian babies who’d died, and in the placentas from two miscarriages.

The timeline is similar to that suggested by researchers elsewhere, many of whom say clinical availability of any Zika vaccine is still at least three years away.

“While these approaches are promising, it is important to realize that the development of investigational vaccines to establish whether they are safe and effective takes time”, Fauci told the panels.

In particular, researchers are trying to determine if infection during pregnancy leads to cases of microcephaly, a rare condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads.

As reported by Reuters, the USOC communicated via conference call in late January that the “athletes and staff concerned for their health over the Zika virus should consider not going to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August”. Investigations into the over 4,000 reported cases of microcephaly have so far only confirmed that 17 of them were linked to Zika, while 709 cases have been ruled out. “The vaccine is not a Brazilian concern, but global”, he said.

The commission said the chances of the virus spreading in China were “extremely low” due to cold winter temperatures and a lack of mosquito activity, the primary avenue by which Zika is transmitted.

Zika is a viral infection that spread to the United States after travelers returned home from South America, the Caribbean and other tropical destinations.

Symptoms of Zika may include fever, rash, conjunctivitis and joint pain, officials say.

Adewole made this disclosure at a press briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, where he explained that the mosquitoes were active and flying, adding that they bite during the day and early morning.

Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said later Thursday that the House would act on the Zika spending request, though he said Republicans would search for spending cuts elsewhere in the budget to cover the cost and would “scrub” it for unnecessary items.

The Aedes albopictus mosquito, native to NYC, has been known to transmit Zika in other areas.

The advice is aimed particularly at women who are pregnant or are thinking about having a child. The CDC also recommends that men who might have been exposed to Zika abstain from sexual activity or use condoms with a pregnant partner for the duration of the pregnancy.