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JACKSON — Three new Zika cases have been reported in Mississippi, bringing the state total to eight.

According to the Mississippi Department of Health, the three new cases were found in residents from Chickasaw, Hinds and Rankin counties. They had recently traveled to St. Thomas, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Last week, two cases were reported from DeSoto and Madison counties, in travelers to Jamaica and Guatemala, respectively. Three other travel-related cases occurred earlier this year, the health department stated in a press release.

According to the release, so far this year four cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Hinds, Grenada, Lamar and Rankin counties. The MSDH only reports laboratory-confirmed cases to the public. In 2015, Mississippi had 38 cases of West Nile Virus and one death.

“At least 46 other U.S. states and territories have already reported travel-associated cases,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs said in the release.

Dobbs cautioned Mississippians to be aware when traveling to Zika-affected countries.

“Now that school is out, we know it is a popular time for mission trips and vacations to these areas,” he said. “Please be especially mindful of protecting yourself from mosquitoes while you’re abroad. Simple steps can make a big difference.”

Bob Haller, minister of Global Mission with Colonial Heights Baptist Church, said despite Zika concerns, the Ridgeland church will continue its mission trips.

The church recently took 15 people to Haiti and is planning another mission trip toColombia in September.

Haller said the church has partnerships with certain countries but warns church members to take precautions before they go. They encourage pregnant women not to go on the trips, he said.

“We follow God’s leadership on where we should go,” Haller said. “If God leads us to go to those countries, we will still go there.”

Liz Sharlot, spokesperson for MSDH, said she expected to see an increase in Zika cases in Mississippi as people travel during the summer months for vacation and mission trips.

Sharlot said traveling to Zika-affected countries is “like Russian roulette” for pregnant woman and women who are trying to get pregnant.

“Don’t do it,” she said. “The results could be devastating on an unborn child.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that may cause serious birth defects if contracted during pregnancy. Infection can cause a mild illness with symptoms such as fever, joint pain, conjunctivitis or rash that can last several days to a week, but 80 percent of those infected have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Death is very rare.

In the release, the MSDH said the department “strongly advises pregnant women not to travel to countries where Zika is actively being transmitted.”

Zika has been seen in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands for years, but has recently been reported in approximately 30 countries, mostly in theCaribbean, Central and South America. The breed of mosquito that is spreading Zika — Aedes aegypti — has not been detected in Mississippi since the early 1990s. The MSDH is currently conducting surveillance for Aedes mosquito populations in every county in the state.

In previous years, WNV has been reported from all parts of the state. All Mississippians are potentially at risk — not just the areas where cases are reported.

Symptoms of WNV infection are often mild and may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, a rash, muscle weakness or swollen lymph nodes. In a small number of cases, infection can result in encephalitis or meningitis, which can lead to paralysis, coma and possibly death.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2016/07/11/new-zika-cases-reported-mississippi/86967894/