Connecticut state health officials are advising health care providers to be on the lookout and report any suspected cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus to the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the patient’s local health department.
The CDC has issued a travel notice saying pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries with Zika outbreaks in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
“All people, especially pregnant women, who are traveling to areas where Zika virus is found, should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites to reduce their risk of infection of Zika virus as well as other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue and chikungunya,” said Connecticut Department of Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino. “Travelers returning from areas with Zika activity should seek medical care if they experience a fever and symptoms of infection.”
The Zika illness has mild symptoms like rash, aches and pains, however, health officials are now investigating a possible link between the viral infection in pregnant women and subsequent birth defects.
“The big problem that comes to life recently has been reported from Brazil where they noticed a lot of birth defects, babies born with smalls heads, a condition called microcephaly,” said Dr. Nicholas Bennett, the medical director for infectious diseases at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. “The concern is that its linked to Zika virus infecting pregnant women in the northern areas of Brazil.”
While no one in Connecticut has been diagnosed with the virus, a baby born in Hawaii on Saturday tested positive and is now the first case of Zika in the United States. U.S. health officials say the mother was likely infected while in Brazil.
The Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through mosquito bites by species found in the tropical regions of the world.
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“The mosquito species that is primarily responsible for transmission of Zika virus to people is not found in Connecticut,” said Dr. Phil Armstrong, Medical Entomologist with the Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. “Closely related species are present in very low numbers and are unlikely to present a risk of Zika virus infection to people. If the virus spreads to the United States mainland it will most likely be identified first in Florida or the gulf states.”
Some tips for how travelers can prevent mosquito bites include wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent and staying in places with air conditioning or that have window and door screens.
