Zika Confirmed In Two Newcastle Co Delaware Travelers

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Two men from New Castle County have tested positive for travel-related Zika in the state, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) on Thursday.

The two new cases bring the total number of cases in Delaware to seven.

All of the Zika positive test results are due to a mosquito bite while traveling abroad and none involve a pregnancy. Both men were tested in June following recent travel.

http://www.doverpost.com/news/20160630/two-more-men-test-positive-for-travel-related-zika-virus-in-delaware

 

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• Two more men test positive for travel-related Zika virus in Delaware

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By Staff ReportsPosted Jun. 30, 2016 @ 2:11 pm

 

 

Two men from New Castle County have tested positive for travel-related Zika in the state, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) on Thursday.

The two new cases bring the total number of cases in Delaware to seven.

All of the Zika positive test results are due to a mosquito bite while traveling abroad and none involve a pregnancy. Both men were tested in June following recent travel.

Zika is spread primarily through mosquito bite but can also be sexually transmitted from male to female or passed from mother to fetus during pregnancy.

A total of 120 individuals have been, or are in the process of being, tested in Delaware. At this time, there are 95 negative results, seven positive results, and two indeterminate results in pregnant females. Indeterminate means that it is not possible to definitively confirm the existence of the Zika virus in the human body.

Both individuals with indeterminate results were traveling or living abroad this past winter. According to the CDC, there are 820 confirmed cases of Zika virus in the Unites States and District of Columbia. As of June 22, the CDC reports there are still no confirmed transmission of Zika by local mosquito bite in the continental U.S.

To protect patient privacy, DPH will not announce any other information on the status of the pregnancies. Consistent with other states, DPH will announce any Zika-related microcephaly cases after a birth should it occur.

“DPH has chosen to take nothing that could be Zika-related for granted,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “There has been no transmission of Zika via mosquito in the continental U.S., but it is almost inevitable in the future. We have to take every opportunity to remind people to prevent mosquito bites and to use condoms with a male partner who recently traveled to an affected area or has tested positive for the disease.”

Added DPH Medical Director Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh, “We can also understand that a Zika result categorized as ‘indeterminate’ could cause concern. It simply means that there was evidence of infection with a virus in the same 'family' as Zika virus, but the specific virus cannot be determined. This may occur if several weeks have passed between when the person got the infection and when the test was done. It may also occur if the person has been infected (recently or a long time ago) with a virus in the same family as Zika.”

Examples of some viruses in the same family as Zika virus (flavivirus) are Dengue, West Nile Virus, Yellow fever, and Japanese Encephalitis virus. Some of these, such as West Nile virus, can be more common in Delaware and others such as Dengue occur mostly in returning travelers. Use of good mosquito avoidance techniques will help to protect you and your family from these viruses and other mosquito-borne infections such as Chikungunya.

DPH recently announced new Zika public education materials targeting pregnant women and their male partners, including offering Zika Prevention Kits to pregnant women. The kits will be distributed at Delaware Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinics and other locations. Recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the kit contains mosquito repellent, condoms, thermometers, and informational brochures. DPH will also be offering updated information and links to educational materials, which can be found at:

dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html

Zika, a generally mild illness, has been linked to serious birth defects in Brazil and other countries and is most often spread by mosquitoes.

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