Zika virus is here to stay. Here's how California is preparing for that new reality according to : Los Angeles Times

Though no one has contracted Zika virus from a mosquito in California, hundreds of residents have been infected in other countries and then returned to the state. The ones Farned brought to this recent meeting in El Monte were Aedes mosquitoes — the kind that spread Zika virus, the disease discovered last year to cause birth defects. Farned has enlisted the help of the Buddhist organization Tzu Chi to try to spread the word about Aedes mosquitoes in the region. The disease is transmitted only by Aedes mosquitoes, which aren't native to the Americas. All it would take for the disease to start spreading here is for an Aedes mosquito to bite an infected traveler and then another person, experts say.




Full list of countries herePeople who become infected with the Zika virus may not feel sick, but the risk is great to babies; medical experts say the Zika virus infection can cause microcephaly or Guillain-Barré Syndrome in a developing fetus during pregnancy. CTV MontrealWhile many Montrealers might be preparing for a trip down south to get a break from the cold, Canada's public health agency is warning that the Zika virus is still a serious concern. The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning women who are pregnant or planned to be to avoid travelling to certain areas to avoid contracting the mosquito-borne virus. Zika outbreaks have occurred in the U.S. states of Texas and Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America and are all on the list of areas to avoid.

Zika remains global emergency, virus still spreading

Dr. David Heymann, the committee's chair, said Friday that considerable gaps remain in understanding Zika and the complications it causes — including babies with serious neurological problems — and WHO concluded that the outbreak remains a global emergency. In the absence of any effective treatments or vaccines for the disease— and given past failures to wipe out the mosquitoes that mostly spread Zika — Heymann said it will largely be up to individuals to avoid infection. So far, it is primarily the Asian strain of Zika, which is circulating in the Americas, that has been definitively linked to the severe birth defects. GENEVA — The World Health Organization says the outbreak of Zika remains an international health emergency and that while the virus continues to hit new countries, experts still aren't sure how big the risk is that pregnant women who catch the virus will give birth to brain-damaged babies. In recent months, officials in Guinea-Bissau reported several microcephaly cases shortly before Zika was officially detected.



collected by :Lucy William
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