Zika Virus in Central America

Zika virus can be spread from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby. There have been reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Knowledge of the link between Zika and these outcomes is evolving, but until more is known, CDC recommends special precautions for the following groups

What is the current situation?

In November 2015, the first local transmission of Zika virus infection (Zika) was reported in Central America. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the area have been infected with Zika virus, spreading it to people. Since then, the following Central American countries have reported ongoing transmission of Zika:


Geographic Distribution
Where has Zika virus been found?

Prior to 2015, Zika virus outbreaks had been identified in countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infections in Brazil. Currently, outbreaks are occurring in many countries in the Americas. In December 2015, Puerto Rico reported its first confirmed Zika virus case.
Locally-transmitted Zika virus has not been reported elsewhere in the United States, but cases of Zika have been reported in returning travelers. With the recent outbreaks in the Pacific Islands and South America, the number of Zika cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States will likely increase. These imported cases may result in local spread of the virus in some areas of the United States.

Thank you sir for the update

Hawaii baby born with small head had prior Zika infection

Mosquitos aren't known to abide international boundaries.

Unless there's a preventative vaccine, zika will quickly become a worldwide plague.

Thoughts and prayers for those in the effected areas.

The numbers infected are increasing and now it's in Hawaii. :(


CNN)The Centers for Disease Control is considering new guidelines for pregnant women traveling to areas where the Zika virus is present.

"We're trying to get out some comprehensive travel guidelines that women can follow, with more specific information for pregnant women, " said said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the Vector-Born Disease division of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC. "We expect to have them out in a day or so."

The CDC was prompted by tests that found Zika, a mosquito-borne illness, in fetal and newborn tissue of Brazilian babies affected with microcephaly.

Microcephaly is a neurological disorder that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads, causing severe developmental issues and sometimes death.

"We now have an accumulating number of cases in babies from miscarriage or who were born with microcephaly with evidence of Zika," said Petersen.

"That suggests a stronger and stronger relationship of Zika and microcephaly."

--->>The CDC often issues travel health notices. For example, last month they alerted travelers to Central America, Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico that Zika virus cases were occurring and precautions should be taken to prevent mosquito bites to reduce risk of infection. Similarly, last year they issued an advisory for travelers to the West African nations experiencing a deadly Ebola outbreak.

--->>The World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization already have alerts in place for travel to Brazil and other countries in Latin America due to the current Zika outbreak.

Petersen said people often don't heed the warnings to protect themselves against mosquitoes while traveling. "Pregnant women need to take the best precautions possible when traveling where this [Zika] virus is spreading," Petersen said.

The Zika virus is part of the flavivirus family, which contains the deadly yellow fever virus, as well as West Nile, chikungunya, and dengue. There is no vaccine to prevent it and no medicine to treat a Zika virus infection. It's transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected person, and then spreads the obtained virus by biting others. In theory, the Zika virus could be spread through blood transfusion, but as yet there are no documented cases, the CDC said. There is one case of possible virus transmission via sexual contact.

'Pandemic in progress'

---->>>In November, Brazilian health officials advised women there not to become pregnant after they linked an increase in microcephaly to the Zika virus outbreak there. More than 2,400 suspected cases of microcephaly were found in 20 Brazilian states in 2015, compared with 147 cases in 2014. That number, said Petersen, has now risen to 3,700. Doctors there are investigating 29 related infant deaths.

"That's a pandemic in progress," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, who wrote a recent Zika-related editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine. "It isn't as if it's turning around and dying out, it's getting worse and worse as the days go by."

"And it's determined by officials in Brazil that peak mosquito transmitting time is in April, so we haven't begun to see the full impact of this outbreak," said Fauci.

Infectious disease control will need to step up its game if that reality comes to pass, said Fauci. "We don't have vaccines or therapeutics, and we need better diagnostics that can be done at point of care. We're aggressively working on a Zika vaccine but the best thing right now is avoidance or mosquito control."

More here:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/14/health/zika-pandemic-travel-warnings/index.html

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Hillsborough County resident is one of three Floridians who contracted the Zika Virus while traveling outside of the United States.

The resident contracted the mosquito-borne illness during a trip to Venezuela in December, according to the Florida Department of Health which tracks the cases.

The other two Floridians who contracted the Zika Virus are Miami-Dade County residents who traveled to Columbia in December.

State health officials say there are no locally acquired cases of the Zika Virus in Florida.

Outbreaks of Zika Virus have occurred in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. See a complete list of countries where the Zika Virus has been transmitted.

The Centers for Disease Control issued a travel notice for Zika Virus on January 15, advising pregnant women to avoid traveling to 14 countries and territories in Central and South America and the Caribbean where the virus transmission is ongoing.


More here:

http://wfla.com/2016/01/19/hillsborough-resident-contracts-zika-virus/

Two pregnant women from Illinois contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus while traveling abroad, the Illinois health department announced today.

The women are being monitored by doctors. The virus is not spread from person to person.

Pregnant women are being advised to avoid countries where the Zika virus is circulating.

"There is virtually no risk to Illinois residents since you cannot contract Zika virus from another person, but only through the bite of an infected mosquito," said Dr. Nirav Shah, the health department's director, in a statement. "But since this is a time of year when people travel to warmer climates and countries where Zika virus is found, we are urging residents, especially pregnant women, to take preventive measures when traveling in affected countries and check health travel advisories."

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/two-pregnant-illinois-women-catch-zika-virus-linked-to-birth/article_5cedea8d-8a8f-54fc-81bd-5a6c4945bcb8.html

So then is the Olympics in Brazil on?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3421467/Can-Olympics-survive-Brazil-s-Zika-outbreak-Crisis-female-spectators-ATHLETES-warned-not-organisers-rely-dry-season-kill-mosquitoes.html

Once the virus is in blood stream it stays right there; to be siphoned off by other mosquitoes.

If it comes to India, we had it. This is mosquitoes country.

Commonsense says Games should be postponed!!!

The news tonight states the W.H.O are having a meeting about it on Monday, let's hope they can stop it sooner rather than later.

From Wiki: Past and present areas affected by the Z virus.

The hatched areas (India among them) indicates sero survey data. This means a 'Study measuring a person's risk of developing a particular disease.' India is at high risk with mosquitoes year round.

Dashed off a letter to the local news paper requesting they publish updates. Hope the morons publish news-we-can-use for a change. We here, are still struggling with Dengue fever.

Thank you Alleoops.

Zika virus: Canadian-U.S. vaccine could be ready by year's end

The local news here, beat me to it with a center page article today: 'Zika virus is spreading explosively, says UN health chief.' - Indian Express.

From the article it appears that WHO is not declaring a crisis in their recent meet, effectively giving clearance for the Games to go on. Did some Googling on the WHO Director for Infectious Diseases (North Americas, USA) and guess what? He is a native of the Caribbean; another hot spot for Zika!

With reference to link from Karma: the vaccine is in R&D and expected delivery is year end. Makes sense to postpone the Games to 2017.

Classic example of IOC, WHO and others waiting till critical mass.

Let's hope they can make a vaccine for the Zika virus.

I know.
Let's put joe Biden on it.

Zika: Queensland Residents Breed Their Own GM Mosquitoes To Combat Virus

http://youtu.be/IIgWdVs0vYc/ 03;00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/12146646/Queensland-residents-breed-their-own-GM-mosquitoes-to-combat-Zika-virus.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter/
* Pics, embedded links & world map of outbreaks*

Zika or no Zika, the Rio De Janeiro carnival is on.
7 Feb 2016 to 8 Feb 2016

70,000 fans cheered at the Sambadrome as feathers, glitters. flesh and floats passed by in a blur.



Brazil responding to WHO's declaration.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/430504/zika-virus-epa-ddt

I hate skeeters too.
DDT might have to be used but it has a lot of negatives. A vaccine would be better.
How about a "Fatwa" against them?

check out some of those Fellows in Tehran!

then any molecule formula of viruses is published? I don't think horrific scence is not come from the name but truth. then what kind of sistituations current socialty are facing with? just pay more a little patience to do more slitly analysing you dudes will finding more fact both truth........