US - 3 travel-related Zika cases confirmed in Georgia

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Home ? Press Releases ? First Travel-Related Zika Case Confirmed In Georgia

First Travel-Related Zika Case Confirmed In Georgia

February 3, 2016

Nancy Nydam

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is confirming the first travel-related case of Zika virus in Georgia. Testing was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The non-pregnant individual traveled to Colombia between the end of December and the first of January and has made a full recovery. Tests are still being done on specimens from several other Georgia residents with travel history to areas where Zika virus outbreaks are ongoing.
“It is extremely important that individuals who have traveled to countries where there are on-going Zika virus outbreaks keep guard against additional mosquito bites,” said Cherie Drenzek, D.V.M, state epidemiologist for DPH. “During the first week or so of infection, Zika virus can be passed from an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites. An infected mosquito can then transmit the virus to other people.”

DPH cautions travelers, especially women who are pregnant, headed to countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, among others. The complete list of Zika affected countries can be found athttp://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zik...el-information.

There are urgent concerns about Zika virus infection and pregnant women. Zika virus infections have been confirmed in infants with microcephaly and in the current outbreak in Brazil, a marked increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly has been reported. Pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant should not travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who have traveled to these areas should consult their physician immediately. Health care providers should ask all pregnant women about recent travel.

Zika virus is primarily spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon. Most people infected with Zika virus never know they are sick.

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Zika. Travelers should check CDC travel advisories for their destinations and take precautions to protect themselves from mosquitos:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants
• Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or IR3535 (use as directed)
• Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents)
• Stay and sleep in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms

The number of Zika cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States will likely increase. These imported cases could result in local spread of the virus in some areas of the country, including Georgia.

For more information about Zika virus and current travel advisories, visitdph.georgia.gov or cdc.gov/zika.

http://dph.georgia.gov/press-release...firmed-georgia

 

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2 more cases of Zika virus reported in Georgia

11Alive Staff, WXIA 4:18 p.m. EST February 25, 2016

ATLANTA -- Two more travel-related cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Georgia, the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed on Thursday.

Both individuals, neither who were pregnant, have recovered from the virus, according to the Georgia Department of Health. One had traveled to Guatemala, while the other had gone to El Salvador.
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http://www.11alive.com/story/news/l...e-cases-zika-virus-reported-georgia/80944332/

 

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Georgia - Zika virus could spread quicker than West Nile virus

Zika virus could spread quicker than West Nile virus

Posted: Apr 15, 2016 4:30 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 15, 2016 9:31 PM CDT
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The Georgia Department of Public Health says more people are at risk of contracting the Zika virus if the mosquitoes carrying it come to the U.S. than they are the West Nile virus. That's because mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus feed off of sewers and trash, while Zika carrying mosquitoes can feed right in our front yards.

"They lay their egg in basically any container that holds water so you're going to find those around your home," Dr. Chris Rustin told CBS46.

He says he's very concerned that Zika-carrying mosquitoes can make their way to Georgia, partly because the virus is so easily spread.

"There's enough virus in the blood that the mosquitoes can bite you and then can transmit it to someone else. The cycle can be continued though humans," he said.

The West Nile virus is not as easily passed along.

"When a mosquito that has West Nile bites a human, we're called the dead end host. That means there's not really enough virus in your blood to transmit to another human," Dr. Rustin added.
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http://www.cbs46.com/story/31738730/zika-virus-could-spread-quicker-than-west-nile-virus

 

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US - Georgia - Aedes aegypti mosquitoes spotted in Atlanta: 3 things to do now to protect against Zika virus

Expert: Do these 3 things to do now to protect against Zika virus

Zika-carrying mosquitoes spotted in Atlanta

Kaitlyn Ross and Adrianne Haney, WXIA 10:01 AM. GMT May 17, 2016

ATLANTA -- A local insect expert has a serious warning for everyone in Atlanta: the mosquito carrying the Zika Virus -- Aedes aegypti -- has been spotted in the city.

Dr. Ron Harrison is an insect expert, but he says even he was concerned when learned the species had made it to town.

"This is a game changer," he told 11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross. "So we need to make sure we prevent any type of mosquito bite."
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1. Make insect repellant part of your daily routine
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2. Go on the offensive

Harrison says that all the vegetation in and around Atlanta is the perfect place for mosquitoes to hang out in. He recommends people survey their yards once a week to make sure there's no standing water...

3. Work with your neighbors to mosquito-proof your area

According to Harrison, the mosquitos carrying the Zika Virus have a flying radius of 100 yards, so watching your own yard isn't enough.
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http://www.11alive.com/news/health/3-things-to-do-now-to-protect-against-zika-virus/197776702

 

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US - First sexually transmitted Zika case confirmed in Georgia

[h=1]First Sexually Transmitted Zika Case Confirmed In Georgia[/h] May 27, 2016


ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is confirming the first sexually transmitted case of Zika virus in Georgia. A non-pregnant female was infected by her male partner who had traveled to Brazil earlier this year and was among Georgia?s confirmed travel-related cases. The woman who was infected had not traveled out of the country. She and her partner have fully recovered.
A man infected with Zika can pass the virus to his female or male sex partner before, during and after symptoms appear. Exactly how long Zika virus remains in semen is not known, but a recent report indicated Zika remaining in semen for 62 days. Research is ongoing, but at this time there is no evidence that women can transmit Zika virus to their sexual partners.
?If your partner has traveled to an area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing, protecting yourself by abstaining from sex or using condoms during sex is the best way to prevent sexual transmission of the Zika virus,? said Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Health. ?Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually transmitted infection.?
For women who want to get pregnant and whose male partner has been diagnosed with Zika or has (or had) symptoms, the couple should consider using condoms or not having sex for at least 6 months after symptoms begin. If the male partner does not develop symptoms, the couple should consider using condoms or not having sex for at least 8 weeks after the man returns.
Couples considering pregnancy should discuss with their health care provider the potential risk of Zika virus during pregnancy. The virus can spread from a woman to her child during pregnancy and the infection is linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby is born with a smaller-than-normal head due to abnormal brain development.
Most people infected with Zika virus will not develop symptoms. If symptoms do develop, they are usually mild and include fever, rash, joint pain and eye redness. If an individual returns from a Zika-affected country and has fever with rash, joint pain, and eye redness or other symptoms within two weeks, they should see a doctor and indicate where they?ve traveled.
Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Zika. Travelers should check CDC travel advisories for their destinations and take precautions to protect themselves from mosquitoes:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks
• Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing 20%-30% DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or IR3535 (during travel and for three weeks after returning home)
• Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents)
• Stay and sleep in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms or sleep under a mosquito net

To date, there are 17 confirmed travel-related cases of Zika virus in Georgia. There are no confirmed local mosquito-borne cases of Zika virus in Georgia.
Zika virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Both species are found in Georgia.
Help reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and community by emptying standing water ? Tip ?n Toss - from containers, such as flowerpots, buckets or old tires.
For more information about Zika virus prevention and protection, visitdph.georgia.gov or cdc.gov/zika.

http://dph.georgia.gov/press-releas...ually-transmitted-zika-case-confirmed-georgia

 

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Zika mosquitoes all over Georgia; control agencies aren't

RUSS BYNUM
The Associated Press

Zika mosquitoes all over Georgia; control agencies aren't

12:57 p.m. Saturday, July 2, 2016 | Filed in: News

SAVANNAH, Ga. ? Mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus are found in all corners of Georgia ? from coastal marshes to northern mountains, in rural farm communities and crowded suburbs. Yet many of those places employ no one to fight them.
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An Associated Press survey of district offices of the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed at least 56 counties statewide provide no mosquito control services. That's more than one-third of Georgia's 159 counties.
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Georgia is considered a high-risk state for Zika, and 25 cases have been confirmed here. In most people the virus causes only a mild illness at worst, but it's been linked to severe birth defects in babies born to women infected during pregnancy.
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Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species tied to Zika outbreaks in Latin America, isn't common in Georgia. But the Asian tiger mosquito, which also can carry the Zika virus, is found statewide. Both species breed near homes in water left standing in flower pots and dog bowls, even bottle caps.
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Meanwhile, Georgia state agencies have few resources to battle mosquitoes. The state Department of Public Health recently hired five "vector surveillance coordinators" to perform public outreach and monitor mosquito populations in multi-county regions considered at highest risk for Zika.
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"People need to be diligent," said Gray, the UGA entomologist. "The government's not going to save us on this one."

http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/georgia/zika-mosquitoes-all-over-georgia-control-agencies-/nrrQC/

 

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​Georgia blood supplier to start testing donors for Zika

Georgia Blood Supplier To Start Testing Donors For Zika

By STEPHANNIE STOKES ? 19 HOURS AGO
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It comes as officials in Florida investigate several cases of the virus, which are believed to be the first transmitted by mosquitos on the U.S. mainland.

Jill Evans, vice president of blood supplier LifeSouth, said they're testing at their three Georgia locations, starting Tuesday, as an extra precaution.

?The blood donors who come to us are healthy,? said Evans, ?but they may have Zika virus, because 80 percent of the people who contract Zika are asymptomatic.?
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http://news.wabe.org/post/georgia-blood-supplier-start-testing-donors-zika