Zika Case In Philadelphia ex-Caribbean

[niman]

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the city's first case of Zika virus on Monday.

The infection was identified in a 60-year-old woman who recently returned from a trip to the Caribbean.

She was not hospitalized, officials said, and is recovering without complications.

http://6abc.com/health/philadelphia-announces-first-case-of-zika-virus/1224060/

 

[niman]

HEALTH & FITNESS

PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES FIRST CASE OF ZIKA VIRUS

 

An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

 

 

 

Updated 15 mins ago

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the city's first case of Zika virus on Monday.

The infection was identified in a 60-year-old woman who recently returned from a trip to the Caribbean.

She was not hospitalized, officials said, and is recovering without complications.

The Zika virus is most commonly transmitted from the bite of a mosquito, and many people infected do not get sick. Medical authorities say most people recover in about a week from symptoms such as fever, rash and joint pain.

But health officials are investigating whether there is a link between Zika infections in pregnant women and a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads

If you travel to areas where the Zika virus is widespread, you are reminded to take measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes:

-Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when going outside.
-Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
-Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are outside and are not able to protect
-Use an EPA-registered insect repellent, in accord with the manufacturer's directions.

Philadelphia residents with questions about Zika virus can call the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Division of Disease Control at 215-685-6740.

The World Health Organization has declared it a global emergency.

 

http://6abc.com/health/philadelphia-announces-first-case-of-zika-virus/1224060/

 

[niman]

Map update

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&hl=en&authuser=0&authuser=0&mid=zv94AJqgUct4.kT4qLMXp3SLU

 

[niman]

Fifth Pennsylvanian diagnosed with Zika virus

February 29, 2016 4:21 PM

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James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP

 

 

By Adam Smeltz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Another person in Pennsylvania has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, marking five confirmed cases since the state Department of Health began releasing regular reports last month, health officials said this afternoon.

The latest case appeared to be in Philadelphia, where the local health department announced the first known case of Zika in a city resident there. A woman more than 60 years old is recovering from the mosquito-borne virus after a trip to the Caribbean, where an epidemic of the virus is underway, the local department said.

“She was not hospitalized for infection and is presently recovering without complications,” the Philadelphia Department of Public Health said in a statement.

Nationwide, doctors have diagnosed more than 100 travel-associated Zika cases since early last year, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the United States, the illness typically appears in people who have visited Central America, South America and other regions abroad affected by an outbreak that began last May. 

State health officials have not confirmed the locations of Zika patients in Pennsylvania, although the Allegheny County Health Department has reported none in the county. Lehigh University in Bethlehem announced Feb. 10 that a student there had recovered from the virus after traveling abroad. 

Meanwhile, 148 people in Pennsylvania are awaiting results from Zika blood tests, up from 124 at the same time last week, according to a weekly update from the state. Thirty-seven people in Allegheny County have been approved for the testing, up from 27 a week ago, said Kristen Mertz, a medical epidemiologist with the county.

Although most people infected with the virus show no symptoms, the signs can include a fever, rash and joint pain that last about a week. Risks may be greater for infected pregnant women, who have seen rising rates of birth defects in outbreak-affected areas.

“We really encourage pregnant women to postpone travel to Zika-affected areas,” Dr. Mertz said. She also advised pregnant women to abstain from unprotected sex from men who have traveled to those areas.

Zika transmission through sexual intercourse and blood transfusions is possible, but researchers blame most human cases on bites from Zika-infected mosquitoes. No mosquitoes carrying the virus have been detected in the U.S.

The CDC processes Zika blood tests for patients nationwide. It can take up to two weeks from the time of a blood drawing for test results to emerge.

Adam Smeltz: [email protected], 412-263-2625 or on Twitter @asmeltz.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2016/02/29/Fifth-Pennsylvanian-diagnosed-with-Zika-virus/stories/201602290173