New Warnings about Zika

BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW AND BERNICE BORN

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to deliver travel alerts about the Zika virus amid concerns over blood supply safety and new reports of Zika spreading into Florida.

Did You Know?

• Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti and albopictus mosquito. These mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters. They can also bite at night.
• There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.
• Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects such as microcephaly.
• Zika can also be spread by sexual contact.
• Pregnant women should not travel to areas
  with Zika.
• Returning travelers infected with Zika can spread the virus through mosquito bites.
• Mosquitoes that spread Zika also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Source: CDC

“Zika is here,” declared CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D.

Dr. Frieden’s statement followed the occurrence in a Miami neighborhood of the first documented Zika instances of local transmission in the continental United States. Meanwhile, Zika infections are “skyrocketing” in Puerto Rico, with 5,500 confirmed cases — a number the CDC considers to be a massive undercount.

A recent news release from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute raises the disturbing question of whether Zika is a threat to the world’s blood supply. Blood researchers say it is highly likely that the Zika virus can be transmitted through blood transfusions and call for further study and screening.

WiRED International emphasizes that the best way to prevent Zika is to avoid mosquito bites and to limit the spread of mosquitoes. WiRED will continue to monitor Zika and issue updates.