Zika virus will be ‘way down’ before Rio hosts Olympics

Two more Florida residents have been infected with the Zika virus while traveling to other countries, Florida Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong said Friday in his daily report.

In the case of microcephaly, valuable information is likely to emerge from some 5,000 pregnant women in Colombia who are infected with the Zika virus, Bruce Aylward, the WHO’s executive director of outbreaks and health emergencies, told VOA.

Williams says the risk to Ontarians remains “very low” as the mosquitoes which spread the virus are not well-suited to our climate.

It is associated with neurological disorders microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis.

Travelers visiting areas where Zika transmissions have occurred are encouraged to wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, use EPA-registered insect repellents, use permethrin-treated clothing, stay and sleep in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms and limit outdoor activities during peak mosquito times. Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause flu-like symptoms but very rarely leads to death. It was also where the connection between Zika and microcephaly was first noticed.

Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infectious mosquito, although cases of transmission through sexual contact and blood transfusion have also been reported.

In addition, mosquitoes in areas where Zika transmission is ongoing may also carry diseases like dengue or chikungunya.

Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott warns individual to avoid travelling to countries that have displayed local transmission of the Zika virus.

The Zika virus illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week and hospitalizations are rare.

Given the frequency of travel between South Africa and a number of countries now experiencing outbreaks of the Zika virus, it was likely that other sporadic imported cases would be seen in South Africa in travellers, as had been the experience in a number of countries, Motsoaledi said. Quinlisk says the biggest concern about the Zika virus is the impact on pregnant women and their children.

Top US and Brazilian medical experts met on Thursday to launch a research partnership to find a vaccine against the Zika virus that has spread rapidly since it first appeared in the Americas a year ago.