(TRUNEWS) Health officials are troubled about an ongoing transmission of Zika virus in the U.S.
The principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims the virus is concerning, as reported by ABC.
“The reality is one bite, and if you’re pregnant, your baby might be harmed,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, during a panel at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “That’s a phenomenal problem.”
The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect that can cause babies to be born with small heads. They also have developmental disabilities.
At today’s gathering, the officials are concerned travelers could get the virus abroad and bring it back to the U.S. and then infect others. Although Zika most often comes from a bite from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, there have been some cases of transmission through sexual contact.
For people who are not pregnant, symptoms may include fever, rash and joint pain.
A health agent uses a new test kit that rapidly diagnoses three different mosquito-borne viruses in Sao Paulo, Brazil, January 18, 2016. REUTERS/Rodrigo Paiva
Schuchat said about 500 people in the U.S. have likely Zika infections. Since 80 percent of those infected do not have symptoms, the number may actually be much higher.
Her recommendation is for local officials to get more aggressive about mosquito control.
In Latin American countries, the government is spraying and telling women not to become pregnant. The result has been an uptick in the number of abortions, as reported by TRUNEWS.
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