Victorian pregnant woman diagnosed with Zika virus

New York City health officials are gearing up to make Zika blood tests available to pregnant women who have traveled to countries where the mosquito-borne disease is flourishing.

The Centers for Disease Control also reported Thursday two instances of women who had traveled overseas to Zika-infected areas suffering miscarriages that were believed to be linked to the virus.

A Victorian woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus.

The move by the USOC comes following an interview USA soccer goalie Hope Solo gave to Sports Illustrated earlier this week in which she said if the Olympics were being held now, she wouldn’t go.

The woman in the latest Zika case is from Victoria, the southern state’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy said, adding that she was “diagnosed this week with the Zika virus after recently returning from a country where the Zika virus is prevalent”. The parade that happens every year during carnival informs residents and tourists about the dangers of the Aedes aegypti and teaches them how to combat the mosquito.

Infection with the Zika virus causes only mild symptoms in the majority of the cases, but an apparent link to birth defects and other pregnancy-related poor outcomes has been associated with infection during pregnancy. “It was just a matter of time before, through testing we discovered our first case of Zika in a Marylander who has traveled”, said Dr. Howard Haft, of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Also, Zika can not be spread via casual contact, he said.

Because there is no treatment or prevention vaccine now, the most effective way to prevent contracting Zika is to avoid mosquito bites, according to BUMED.

The disease causes a range of symptoms including joint pain and high fevers.

Babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, can have a range of problems, including seizures, developmental delay, feeding problems and hearing loss. In May, 2015 World Health Organization issued an alert regarding the first case confirmed in Brazil.

“My primary concern today is not about a public health risk but a woman who is dealing with the anxiety of receiving news that is incredibly concerning”, Ms Hennessy said.