The number of cases of Americans infected with the Zika virus is rising and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is urging state residents to get checked after traveling.
Dr. Michael Cooper with the state Infectious Disease Program says our northern state has a different kind of mosquito than the ones spreading Zika in equatorial regions…
Dr. Cooper: “It’s only a certain kind of mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) that they’ve ever seen evidence that they are able to transmit the Zika virus, it’s the same kind of mosquito that can transmit things like Dengue and Chikungunya also. When you look at the map of the distribution of the aedes mosquitoes, it covers a broad swath of territory, going from South America up to some of the southern states in the United States and it travels across the world in the equatorial distribution.”
Nevertheless, Dr. Cooper says men or women who are not pregnant that are traveling to regions where the virus is present should take precautions such as insect repellents, long sleeves/pants, and sleeping nets.
Approximately four out of five people who contract the Zika virus experience no symptoms, and the fifth only experiences moderate symptoms of red eyes, fever, achy joints, and rash.There are no vaccines or medications for the Zika virus.
A major affect of the Zika virus is the disease’s link to Microcephaly, a condition where babies are born with significantly smaller heads and brains. Dr. Cooper suggests that women who are pregnant or who could become pregnant be cautious traveling to areas that have confirmed cases of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that Alaskans who travels to areas with confirmed cases of the virus be tested for it upon their return, especially pregnant women.
While the virus is mostly transmitted through mosquitoes or blood transfusions, there are documented cases of people infected with Zika transmitting the disease to others via sexual contact.