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The Zika Virus is typically spread to people through mosquito bites and can be spread from mother to baby. Aside from mosquito bites, spread of the virus has also been confirmed via sexual transmission and blood transfusions. For the most part, symptoms are mild to non-existent, and most last for just a few days. Some symptoms include fever, rash, red eyes and joint pain.
Local Zika Virus Case Found in Rio Grande Valley
On November 28, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and Cameron County Department of Health and Human Services announced that the first case of Zika transmitted by a mosquito occurred in the state. The patient lives in Cameron County, is not pregnant, and was confirmed to be infected via a lab test.
The patient reported that she had not recently traveled to Mexico or any other areas with confirmed Zika cases. Testing done by the lab found that a blood test was negative, despite genetic material being found in the patient’s urine. This means that Zika can no longer be spread from the patient via mosquito.
270 Cases of Illness from Zika
Since the week of December 2, the state of Texas has reported at least 270 cases of illness related to the Zika virus. Outside of the Cameron County incident, all the other cases appear to have occurred by patients traveling to known Zika infected areas of the world. Of the 270 illnesses, 21 of them are pregnant women, two are infants who were infected prior to birth and two were people who had sexual contact with others who traveled.
The Zika Pregnancy Registry
There is now a Zika Pregnancy Registry nationally and it is run by the CDC. Texas reports women who are pregnant to the registry and has already reported 122 cases. The list includes both pregnant women and infants who have laboratory evidence of the virus in their system. Any infant or pregnant woman who has been tested for the Zika virus and received a positive or inconclusive lab test result is reported by Texas to the CDC national registry.
Contact the experienced staff at Tick Killz today to discuss the Zika virus and steps you can take to prevent infection.