zika •

Traveling south this year? You will need to take some extra precautions.

The State of Hawaii fights against mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever and Zika virus. Hawaii’s governor David Ige declared a state of emergency for mosquito-borne illnesses on Sunday.

According to the news, on Hawaii’s Big Island the state has been in the midst of a dengue fever outbreak, with more than 250 confirmed cases. Hawaii Gov. David Ige declared on Friday in a news conference that there have been no locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus in the state.

However, there are concerns that the islands could be at risk of a Zika virus outbreak because the same mosquitoes that can carry dengue fever also can carry the Zika virus. Six residents of Hawaii are known to have contracted Zika during travels to the outbreak areas. In addition to the South American and Caribbean countries noted as sources of Zika infection, the virus is active on Pacific islands including American Samoa.

Despite the fact that the number of dengue fever cases in Hawaii has decreased over recent years, the state continues to fight to completely destroy the infection and transmission of dengue fever, according to the governor’s office.

As stated by Gov. Ige in the same conference, the authorities are doing everything possible in order to stay proactive and prevent vector borne diseases in the state.

There have been no locally acquired Zika cases in the U.S. or Hawaii, and we’d like to keep it that way.

affirmed the governor in his statement. The emergency proclamation comes to help the state acquire more financial funds in order to control outbreaks.

According to Fox News, a December report from the Centers for Disease Control highlighted deficiencies in the state’s vector control department. Now, Hawaii is rushing to build up its mosquito control staff. During the economic downturn, Hawaii reduced its mosquito control and entomology staff to 25 positions in 2016 from 56 employees in 2009.

On the other hand, the Department of Health plans to hire 10 new staffers with money the governor released and health officials are searching for more funding to rebuild the staff, according to Virginia Pressler, director of department.

Another aspect of the emergency order gives mosquito control officials the ability to spray property with pesticides, even if the owner objects. There has been much controversy about pesticide use in Hawaii over recent years, including allegations that agriculture companies are spraying too many pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on their crops.

All in all, people who are traveling south this year, definitely need to take some extra precautions. However, travelers should not be alarmed by the new proclamation or allow it to alter their travel plans to any of the Hawaiian Islands, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority officials.

Image Source: edugeography.com.

The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the U.S. has been confirmed.

It seems like the bad news about the Zika virus spreading rapidly will not cease – a Zika virus case transmitted sexually is now confirmed.

The rare case is about a patient infected in Dallas, Texas, who is likely to have been infected by sexual contact. According to the experts who are on the case, this patient had not travelled to infected areas but their partner had returned recently from Venezuela.

The case has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which confirmed it was contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite.

Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others.

said Zachary Thompson, DCHHS director. He also added that next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually-transmitted infections and he encouraged people to use them, with no exception.

An analysis made by James Gallagher, health editor at BBC, points out that if Zika can readily spread through sex, then it poses a risk to every country not just those with the Aedes mosquito.

This explosive outbreak has caught the world by surprise and many key questions remain unanswered. Exactly how common or rare is sexual transmission? Also, can it be spread by the 80% of people who show no symptoms? How long does the virus persist in semen? When is it safe to have sex again? What should men do after visiting affected countries? Can women also spread the virus through sex?

However, as according to the BBC editor, we must not despair. This is not as bad as HIV/Aids infection. Zika infections are short, mild and pose a significant threat only in pregnancy.

Generally, Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitos. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. At the moment, the virus is spreading through the Americas and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the disease linked to the virus a global public health emergency.

As a safety measure, The American Red Cross has urged prospective blood donors returning from Zika-hit countries to wait at least 28 days before donating their blood. The “self-deferral” will apply to people returning from Mexico, the Caribbean or Central or South America during the past four weeks, the Red Cross said in a statement.

Brazil, the country worst hit by the outbreak – has revealed it is investigating 3,670 suspected cases of microcephaly in babies linked to the Zika virus.

WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year. Officials said people can avoid the Zika virus by protecting against mosquito bites and avoiding sexual contact with those infected.

So far, there are no medications available that fight Zika virus and there are no vaccines.

Image Source: cdn.skim.gs

Hawaii Fights Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Zika Virus Case Transmitted Sexually Is Now Confirmed

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