Dallas County Can Now Do Zika Virus Testing
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A faster way for North Texans to get Zika virus test results begins Monday, now that the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department is able to perform the tests on their own, rather than having samples sent off to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Starting on Monday, samples from 12 different counties -- including Dallas County -- can be sent to the DCHHS laboratory for immediate Zika virus testing. With this local testing facility, the results can come back within just 24 hours.
The samples previously needed to be sent to the CDC for Zika virus testing. The results using that method would take weeks to come back.
This is a major development for North Texas, as healthcare professionals work to learn more about the Zika virus. Although it has been around for decades, the virus now appears to be spreading quickly. Earlier this month, Dallas County had the world's first case of the Zika virus that was transmitted sexually. Both of those patients have since fully recovered.
Like the West Nile virus, the Zika virus is typically spread by mosquitoes.
Officials in North Texas have also started a Zika Task Force, saying that they want to get a jump on the area's mosquito season which lasts from May through October.
Health experts are now running tests to confirm whether or not the virus indeed causes infected pregnant women to have kids with birth defects, including a small brain. The virus was found last year in Brazil, where there has been a spike in the number of babies born with brain defects and smaller heads. Anybody traveling to South America, Central America and the Caribbean has been warned to be extra cautious.
According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 people infected with the Zika virus become ill. The most common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headaches. Symptoms often last several days to a week. There is no medication to prevent or treat Zika infection. Anyone who is infected should get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids and take acetaminophen to help with fever and pain. The virus rarely results in hospitalization or death.
The advice for avoiding the Zika virus is similar to that for the West Nile virus.
- DEET: Use bug spray and protective clothing with repellents containing permethrin or DEET.
- DRESS: Dress in loose, light-colored clothing with long sleeves and wear long pants.
- DUSK/DAWN: Limit outdoor exposure at dusk and dawn.
- DRAIN: All areas of standing water, including changing water in wading pools, birdbaths and gutters.