NC health officials report first case of travel-related Zika

The sudden rise of this number to 500 has resulted in the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak an global health emergency. As of Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported travel-related Zika virus infections in 21 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The general public is not at risk of contracting this virus, because the mosquitoes that transmit Zika are not established in Iowa”, said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk.

The ministry urged Taiwanese nationals who plan to travel to Tonga to think twice about going there and take precautions to prevent mosquito bites if a visit to Tonga is necessary. This is the first confirmed case of Zika virus infection in Ontario.

Franklin County Public Health and Columbus Public Health each confirmed Friday that they have sent another possible case of the Zika virus to a lab for testing.

Francileide de Lima Ferreira, 30, poses with Rafael, 3-months old, who is her fifth child, and born with microcephaly, at Pedro I hospital in Campina Grande, Brazil February 18, 2016. Babies with the condition have a smaller than normal head and often have a smaller brain that hasn’t developed properly.

Officials with the state said the woman, between the age of 61-80, had recently traveled to Central America.

What Does the Virus Do?

Most people who contract the infection have no symptoms, but some experience fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes. Current evidence suggests that Zika virus is likely to persist and spread in the Americas and the South Pacific. Severe complications from the virus that require hospitalization are rare, according to the CDC.

Scientists believe some suspected complications from Zika are only now surfacing because Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, has a far bigger and denser population than the sites of previous outbreaks. They rarely last longer than a week.

The ministry said the objective is to raise awareness of the importance of eliminating the breeding ground of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that also transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Aedes albopictus species has also been identified as a potential carrier. There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus.

At this time, no cases of the disease are known to have been acquired in North Carolina or elsewhere in the continental United States, with the exception of one infection in Texas attributed to sexual transmission.