MOREHEAD CITY — A county resident who traveled to the Caribbean in the fall tested positive for the
Zika virus in October, becoming the county's first reported case. County Health Department communicable disease nurse Donna Faiella made the announcement Monday during the Consolidated Human Services Board meeting, held in the health department conference room. The Zika virus can lead to birth defects in infants if a pregnant mother is infected with the virus through mosquito bites, sexual transmission and blood transfusions. Ms. Faiella added that in addition to Zika virus, there had been one positive test of chikungunya, another mosquito-borne illness with similar symptoms and illness as Zika. About 90 percent of those who have tested positive for Zika (in other states) had a rash," she said.
A team from the University of Alberta is among three Canadian research groups awarded federal grants to study the
Zika virus. The other two Canadian teams awarded CIHR grants are headed by Keith Pardee and Beate Sander in Ontario. "We are also testing new potential antivirals."There are currently no antiviral therapies or vaccines available for Zika. Most were travel-related, but the virus can be transmitted sexually. "Obviously the longer it can persist, the bigger the window of time in which the virus can be transmitted from person to person."READ MORE: Here's how hard Zika virus hit Canadian tourists last year"We are trying to develop a new diagnostic test for the Zika virus," said postdoctoral fellow Daniel Limonta.
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