Needle Stick Creates Fourth Zika Case In Allegheny Co Pennsylvania

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The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today reported the fourth confirmed case of the Zika virus (Zika) in the county. The person who contracted Zika is a female. This is a unique case in that the individual has not traveled to an affected area, nor was she infected through sexual transmission. She contracted the virus from a needle stick while working with the Zika virus on an experiment in a laboratory. Her symptoms have resolved and she is doing well.

http://www.wtae.com/news/health-department-reports-fourth-confirmed-case-of-zika-in-allegheny-county/39979962

 

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Health Department reports fourth confirmed case of Zika in Allegheny County

Virus Contracted in an Isolated Lab Incident

Published  1:05 PM EDT Jun 09, 2016

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PITTSBURGH —The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today reported the fourth confirmed case of the Zika virus (Zika) in the county. The person who contracted Zika is a female. This is a unique case in that the individual has not traveled to an affected area, nor was she infected through sexual transmission. She contracted the virus from a needle stick while working with the Zika virus on an experiment in a laboratory. Her symptoms have resolved and she is doing well.

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“We want to remind residents that, despite this rare incident, there is still no current risk of contracting Zika from mosquitos in Allegheny County. For those traveling to countries affected by Zika, we urge caution. Pregnant women particularly should avoid travel to affected countries.” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department.”

The Zika virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, which is common in warm climates. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week, although the majority of persons infected with the virus do not have any symptoms. Zika virus infection has been linked to fetal malformations. There is no vaccine to prevent, or medicine to treat, Zika virus infection.

While local mosquito transmission of Zika has not been documented in Allegheny County or Pennsylvania, residents are still urged to protect themselves from insect borne infections as the weather gets warmer. Insect repellant containing DEET should be used, and removing standing water from property can also help to alleviate mosquito breeding.

Ongoing updates on additional confirmed cases will be posted on the Health Department’s website. Additional resources, including links to the PA Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may also be found on the site. The page also contains information on the number of residents tested, and the number of confirmed cases of the virus. A total of 109 residents have been approved for Zika testing to date.

Individuals who have traveled to affected areas who have symptoms of Zika or are pregnant should contact their primary physician, or may call the Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-ACHD (2243).

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Pitt laboratory worker contracts Zika from needle stick

Photo by Courtesy of James Gathany/CDC

 

 

By Ben Schmitt | Thursday, June 9, 2016, 1:27 p.m.

 

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Updated 22 minutes ago

A University of Pittsburgh researcher contracted Zika while working with the virus in a laboratory, Pitt and Allegheny County health officials reported Thursday.

Officials would not identify the worker, which becomes the fourth confirmed case of Zika in the county.

Pitt officials said the female researcher stuck herself with a needle May 23 while conducting an experiment with the virus.

County health officials called the case unique because the person has not traveled to a Zika-affected area. Zika is generally transmitted through a bite from the Aedes aegypti species of mosquito, the primary carrier of the virus, and sexual intercourse.

The worker developed symptoms of the infection June 1 and a blood sample tested positive for Zika on Wednesday, said Joe Miksch, a Pitt spokesman.

“The researcher was free of fever by June 6 and returned to work on that date,” Miksch said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is aware of the incident.

“This may be the first instance where Zika has been transmitted in a laboratory during this outbreak and we want to reiterate the importance of laboratory workers adhering to our guidelines to prevent transmission in these settings,” said CDC Spokesman Tom Skinner.

County officials said the worker is doing well.

“We want to remind residents that, despite this rare incident, there is still no current risk of contracting Zika from mosquitoes in Allegheny County. For those traveling to countries affected by Zika, we urge caution. Pregnant women particularly should avoid travel to affected countries.” said Dr. Karen Hacker, the county health director.

Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health last month launched an international alliance “Cura Zika,” with counterparts in Brazil, as a way to as a way to speed up fundraising for research into the mosquito-borne virus. The association began with about $1 million from anonymous donors and matching funds.

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week, although the majority of persons infected with the virus do not have any symptoms. Zika virus infection has been linked to birth defects. The CDC confirmed in April that Zika can cause microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with smaller than normal heads and often improperly developed brains. There is no vaccine to prevent, or medicine to treat Zika virus infection.

Local mosquito transmission of Zika has not been documented in Pennsylvania, health officials have said. The Zika virus is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit. The CDC has reported 618 cases of the virus in the United States, all of them travel-related. Nineteen of the cases have been among Pennsylvania residents.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/10606799-74/zika-virus-county

 

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Pitt Researcher Contracts Zika Virus After Being Stuck With Needle In Lab

June 9, 2016 1:50 PM

Filed Under: Allgheny County, Pittsburgh, Zika, Zika Virus

 

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A University of Pittsburgh researcher contracted the Zika virus after accidentally sticking herself with a needle.

The Allegheny County Health Department confirms that she is the fourth confirmed case of Zika virus in the county.

It’s a unique case because the woman did not travel to an affected area, nor was she infected through sexual transmission.

Pitt says the researcher stuck herself with the needle on May 23, and then developed symptoms on June 1.

“We want to remind residents that, despite this rare incident, there is still no current risk of contracting Zika from mosquitos in Allegheny County. For those traveling to countries affected by Zika, we urge caution. Pregnant women particularly should avoid travel to affected countries.” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department.”

The researcher was free of fever by June 6 and returned to work on that date.

On advice of the ACHD, the researcher is complying with a request to wear long sleeves and pants and wear insect repellent for three weeks from the date of contact.

The Zika virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, which is common in warm climates.

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week, although the majority of persons infected with the virus do not have any symptoms.

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Zika virus infection has been linked to fetal malformations. There is no vaccine to prevent, or medicine to treat, Zika virus infection.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/06/09/woman-contracts-zika-after-being-stuck-with-needle-in-lab/

 

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Woman infected with Zika in Pittsburgh lab accident

 Liz Szabo, USA TODAY3:07 p.m. EDT June 9, 2016

(Photo: John Moore)

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A female lab researcher in the University of Pittsburgh area has been infected with the Zika virus from an accidental needle stick, in what federal health officials believe may be the U.S.'s first case of the disease contracted through a laboratory.

The needle stick occurred May 23, according to a university statement. The woman developed symptoms of Zika June 1, including a fever. Symptoms of Zika can include fever, rash, joint pain, headache and pink eye. The university learned that the blood test was positive for Zika virus June 8.

The woman's fever disappeared June 6, and she returned to work the same day, according to the University of Pittsburgh.

Zika primarily spreads through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The woman has agreed to wear long sleeves, pants and insect repellent for three weeks to prevent mosquitoes from biting her, according to the university.

The woman doesn't pose a health risk to her coworkers, because the virus doesn't spread from person to person through casual contact, like a cold. Although men can transmit the virus through sex, it's not known if women can transmit the virus through sex.

In order for the woman to spread the virus, an Aedes mosquito would have to bite her, incubate the virus for several days, then bite someone else, said Amesh Adalja, a senior associate the Center for Health Security at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who has no personal knowledge of the woman's case. A mosquito who bites an infected person is not immediately contagious.

Most people face no serious risk from Zika infections. Only 20% of patients develop any symptoms, which are usually mild, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In rare cases, Zika can cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a type of paralysis that occurs when the body's immune system attacks the nerves. Zika also can cause devastating birth defects in fetuses.

The woman's case appears to be the first time that a U.S. lab worker has been infected with Zika during the current outbreak, according to the CDC.

More than 600 Americans in the continental U.S. have been infected with Zika, including 195 cases in pregnant women. All of those cases were related to travel to an outbreak area or sex with an infected traveler. More than 1,100 people have been diagnosed with Zika in Puerto Rico, including 146 pregnant women, where the disease is spreading among local mosquitoes, according to the CDC.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/06/09/woman-infected-zika-pittsburgh-area-lab-accident/85655060/

 

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Fri Jun 10, 2016 1:53am EDT

Related: U.S., HEALTH

U.S. researcher contracts Zika during experiment: media

 

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Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, March 6, 2016.

REUTERS/ALVIN BAEZ

 

A United States laboratory researcher was back at work after contracting the Zika virus by pricking herself with a needle during an experiment last month, broadcaster ABC News said on Thursday.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of those infected have no symptoms.

The unidentified researcher at the University of Pittsburgh pricked herself on May 23 and showed symptoms on June 1, returning to work five days later when she no longer had a fever, ABC News said, citing a statement from the school.

School officials were not immediately available for comment.

The incident was the fourth confirmed case of the Zika virus in Allegheny County, its health department said, without giving details of the accident.

"Despite this rare incident, there is still no current risk of contracting Zika from mosquitos in Allegheny County," department director Karen Hacker said in a statement.

U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,400 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.

To reduce the chance of virus transmission, the Pittsburgh researcher is using insect repellent to avoid mosquito bites, besides wearing garments with long sleeves and trousers, ABC News added.

 

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-pittsburgh-idUSKCN0YW0E7

 

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Researcher Infected With Zika Virus During Laboratory Accident in Pittsburgh

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Jun 9, 2016, 6:07 PM ET

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WATCH Researcher Infected With Zika Virus During Lab Accident

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A female researcher was accidentally infected with the Zika virus during a laboratory experiment at the University of Pittsburgh, marking the first reported case of someone getting the virus through a needle stick, university officials said today.

The researcher accidentally pricked herself with a needle on May 23 and developed symptoms on June 1, according to a university statement. She returned to work five days later when she no longer had a fever, according to the statement.

“We want to remind residents that, despite this rare incident, there is still no current risk of contracting Zika from mosquitoes in Allegheny County,” Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, said in a separate statement today.

Even so, the researcher plans to wear insect repellent, long sleeves and pants for three weeks, according to the University of Pittsburgh. This aligns with recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all returning travelers, even if they do not feel sick, to prevent spreading the virus through mosquitoes that have been previously foundin about 30 states, including Pennsylvania.

The concern is that if one of those mosquitoes bites someone infected with the Zika virus, then it could be transmitted to another person through that mosquito's bite.

Hacker said that Allegheny County has not seen the mosquitoes so far this year that are known to carry the Zika virus, but that they are monitoring for it.

“The areas of the country where people are more concerned are in the more humid and tropical areas of the country,” Hacker told ABC News. “I think there’s a lot more attention there than the northern climes.”

Common symptoms of the virus include fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain and headache. However, the majority of infected people experience no symptoms at all. The virus has been linked to a serious birth defect called microcephaly, characterized by an abnormally small head and brain, with significant developmental issues.

Hacker confirmed that the laboratory researcher had not traveled to an endemic area, nor had she acquired the virus through sexual contact. The three other known Zika cases in Allegheny County were men who had contracted the virus abroad, she said.

The Zika virus is known to spread through mosquito bite, unprotected sex, from mother to child, and through blood transfusion, according to the CDC, which has not recorded any cases of Zika transmission through blood transfusion or mosquito bites in the U.S.

“We continue to believe that the risk of contracting Zika from mosquitoes is relatively low -- extremely low -- for our county,” Hacker said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/researcher-infected-zika-virus-laboratory-accident-pittsburgh/story?id=39736836

 

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Pittsburgh researcher infected with Zika in lab accident

By MIKE STOBBE

 

Jun. 9, 2016 5:03 PM EDT

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — The University of Pittsburgh says one of its researchers became infected with the Zika virus in a lab accident.

The scientist accidentally stuck herself with a needle last month during a Zika experiment. She developed Zika symptoms last week and lab tests confirmed the infection.

Pitt officials on Thursday said the researcher has recovered and returned to work.

 

The virus is spread mainly through the bite of a tropical mosquito. It causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst, in most people. But it can cause fetal deaths and severe birth defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy.

 

Nearly 700 infections have been reported in the 50 states. All were people who had traveled abroad, or who had sex with someone who did.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fa641974dd1a4f8d8891a1eb794e2118/pittsburgh-researcher-infected-zika-lab-accident

 

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University of Pittsburgh researcher recovers from Zika infection

June 9, 2016 11:14 PM

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U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A female Aedes aegypti mosquito

 

 

By Jill Daly / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A University of Pittsburgh researcher is back at work conducting experiments with the Zika virus after becoming infected with the disease in the laboratory, Pitt and the Allegheny County Health Department reported Thursday. Identified only as female, she was the county’s fourth confirmed infection.

Health officials said the researcher has recovered with no remaining symptoms and is doing well. Pitt spokesman Joe Miksch said she accidentally stuck herself with a needle on May 23 and developed symptoms on June 1. A blood sample was collected, and the case was reported to the county health department. When Zika was confirmed Wednesday, Mr. Miksch said, the university informed the county.

Free of fever by Monday, the researcher returned to work, according to Mr. Miksch, and is following advice to wear long sleeves and pants and wear insect repellent for three weeks after the date of the needle stick, to prevent possible mosquito exposure to the virus.

As part of an international research collaboration, Cura Zika, a number of Pitt researchers are involved in projects to track and mitigate infections, develop a vaccine and find ways to block the virus from breaching the barrier in the placenta to cause neurological damage in newborns.

The Zika patient had not traveled to an affected area and was not infected through sexual transmission, according to the health department.

“We want to remind residents that, despite this rare incident, there is still no current risk of contracting Zika from mosquitoes in Allegheny County,” Health Director Karen Hacker said in the announcement. “For those traveling to countries affected by Zika, we urge caution. Pregnant women particularly should avoid travel to affected countries.”

Although the type of mosquito identified as spreading the virus is not common in the area, officials urge people to protect themselves from mosquitoes by using insect repellent containing DEET and removing standing water from outdoor property to reduce mosquito breeding.

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. People who have traveled to affected areas who have symptoms or are pregnant should contact their doctor or call the Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-ACHD (2243). As of Thursday, 109 county residents have been approved for Zika testing. Updates on confirmed cases are posted on the Health Department’s website, www.achd.net.

The CDC provides guidance for labs working with Zika: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/state-labs/biosafety-guidance.html.

Jill Daly: [email protected], 412-263-1596.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2016/06/09/Fourth-case-of-Zika-virus-reported-in-Allegheny-County/stories/201606090159