Two people in Travis County have tested positive for the Zika virus as of March 3, according to Philip Huang, Medical Director for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department.
Huang spoke about the Zika virus before the Austin Health and Human Services Committee, March 9. He said 29 Travis County residents are awaiting the results of Zika virus tests, 18 of whom are pregnant.
“It’s getting scarier and scarier every day,” committee chair Ora Houston said.
The Aedes mosquito—which carries the Zika virus as well as the Chikungunya virus and Dengue fever—is native to Central Texas and Austin, but Zika has not yet been locally transmitted, Huang said. The only cases of the virus have been found in residents who traveled to a country in Central or South America, where Zika is spreading more rapidly, he said.
No deaths, hospitalizations or severe illnesses have been reported from those infected with Zika in the United States, and the virus typically runs its course within seven days, Huang said. Four out of five people infected experience no symptoms, he said.
Health officials are concerned about the spread of the virus among pregnant women. Evidence is mounting that shows Zika is related to microcephaly in newborns, a condition that results in an abnormally small head and intellectual disabilities, Huang said.
Local mosquitoes can catch Zika from a person that is already infected with the virus, which could lead to locally transmitted cases, he said.
Huang said pregnant women should wear long sleeves and pants and use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET. He encouraged residents to drain standing water. Old tires can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and Huang said city officials and residents should report areas where mosquito larva could thrive to 3-1-1.
Huang also warned pregnant women not to travel to areas of the world where Zika cases are more common and to obstain from sex with partners who have recently travels to Central or South America, as the virus can also be transmitted sexually, he said.
There is no vaccine for the Zika virus, he said.
Two people in Travis County have tested positive for the Zika virus as of March 3, according to Philip Huang, Medical Director for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department.
Huang spoke about the Zika virus before the Austin Health and Human Services Committee, March 9. He said 29 Travis County residents are awaiting the results of Zika virus tests, 18 of whom are pregnant.
“It’s getting scarier and scarier every day,” committee chair Ora Houston said.
The Aedes mosquito—which carries the Zika virus as well as the Chikungunya virus and Dengue fever—is native to Central Texas and Austin, but Zika has not yet been locally transmitted, Huang said. The only cases of the virus have been found in residents who traveled to a country in Central or South America, where Zika is spreading more rapidly, he said.
No deaths, hospitalizations or severe illnesses have been reported from those infected with Zika in the United States, and the virus typically runs its course within seven days, Huang said. Four out of five people infected experience no symptoms, he said.
Health officials are concerned about the spread of the virus among pregnant women. Evidence is mounting that shows Zika is related to microcephaly in newborns, a condition that results in an abnormally small head and intellectual disabilities, Huang said.
Local mosquitoes can catch Zika from a person that is already infected with the virus, which could lead to locally transmitted cases, he said.
Huang said pregnant women should wear long sleeves and pants and use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET. He encouraged residents to drain standing water. Old tires can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and Huang said city officials and residents should report areas where mosquito larva could thrive to 3-1-1.
Huang also warned pregnant women not to travel to areas of the world where Zika cases are more common and to obstain from sex with partners who have recently travels to Central or South America, as the virus can also be transmitted sexually, he said.
There is no vaccine for the Zika virus, he said.
