Zika travel notice issued in Florida
Dr. Zain Chagla, Tropical infectious disease specialist at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton on CHCH
More than 1,650 cases of Zika have been reported so far in United States with 14 new cases confirmed in Miami, Florida. The Canadian Public Health Agency has advised pregnant women who visit the southern state to get checked for the virus. So far 180 cases of the virus have been reported in Canada with the majority resulting from intercourse with an infected individual.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s tropical infectious disease expert Dr. Zain Chagla says that part of the issue is that only about 20% of those infected display flu like symptoms. “The majority of people don’t have symptoms. We know the virus exists in the blood for a weeks, and is tranmissable for men to women for about six months.”
Doctors are recommending women who have been in the affected areas wait two months before getting pregnant, while men should wait 6 months. Florida authorities are taking all measures necessary to eliminate the threat of Zika virus in the state including treating and eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
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