Alabama health agency confirms first Zika case in state

Zika virus is transmitted to people by mosquitoes and through sexual activity.

The woman’s symptoms were typical of Zika – fever, joint pain and rash, said Jana Rush, chief epidemiologist for the Cleveland Department of Health.

But, the virus can lead to birth defects in pregnant women.

Karen Hacker, director of the Allegheny County Health Department based in Pittsburgh, says the risk for residents in southwestern Pennsylvania is extremely low. Officials believe the person had recently traveled to an area in South or Central America where outbreaks of the virus have been reported.

Gov. Rick Scott’s office released a statement Tuesday saying none of the 16 Zika cases confirmed in Florida were contracted in the state, and none involve pregnant women.

At the time, several Republicans called for travel restrictions to prevent new Ebola cases from coming to U.S. While there were questions about monitoring at the nation’s worldwide airports, no one demanded travel restrictions for the Zika virus. There’s no evidence people can get it through casual contact.

A team of CDC experts is expected to arrive in Colombia this week for a three-week visit to investigate the possible links between the Guillain-Barre syndrome and Zika.

This is the first laboratory-confirmed case of Zika in OR this year.

OH now has its first case – and second – cases of the Zika virus, the disease that has been spreading through much of Latin America.

In its advice, the Geneva-based World Health Organization said women in areas with the virus should protect themselves, especially during pregnancy, by covering up against mosquitoes and practicing safe sex through the use of condoms.

Brazil is investigating a potential link between Zika infections and some 4,000 suspected cases in newborn babies of microcephaly, a condition in which an abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems.

Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been quick on the alerts and announced February that its emergency operations center is now on a “Level 1” status – its highest level of activation.

The outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil has raised concerns about the safety of traveling to the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro this summer. Depending on the weather, workers will begin using larvicide in areas where the Aedes is known to breed in April, and they’ll begin trapping the mosquitoes in May.