The Zika virus has made it ways from Latin America and is now spreading to U.S. shores. And as the summer rapidly approaches, the burgeoning mosquito population is becoming a massive concern for those who are worried about a potential U.S. outbreak.
In late April, a 70-year-old man in Puerto Rico died from complications after being infected with the Zika virus, making it the first U.S. casualty from the infection. And according to top public health officials, this death isn’t likely to be the last in the United States.
“The mosquitoes that carry Zika are in parts of the United States,” Dr. Denise Jamieson, chief of the women’s health and fertility branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNBC‘s “On the Money” in a recent interview.
And while there are currently no cases of local transmission from mosquito bites in the Continental U.S., Jamieson notes that “there are ongoing cases of Zika virus” in Puerto Rico.
As of now, no vaccine is available for Zika. However, Jamieson told CNBC that researchers are in the process of creating one.
“There are some vaccines to other related viruses so researchers have a jump-start on that. But it’s still going to take time,” she said.
In the meantime, prevention is key — especially for pregnant women. As Jamieson puts it, it is imperative that pregnant women understand how to prevent mosquito bites.
While Zika is a relatively mild disease, it can have detrimental effects on pregnant women. While the Zika virus doesn’t cause full-blown infertility, which is the failure to conceive after one year of trying, it can result in birth defects and abnormalities such as microcephaly. Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby’s head is significantly smaller than the rest of the body, resulting in severe brain damage.
Pregnant women are urged to wear long-sleeved protective clothing this summer and to wear bug spray whenever outside.
