DCHHS Preparing Lab To Perform Zika Testing Locally
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The newly formed Dallas County Zika Task Force wrapped up its second scheduled meeting this morning.
The group, headed by Dallas County Health and Human Services Environmental Health, will meet weekly with officials in Dallas County municipalities to gather information and give updates.
Right now, DCHHS Director Zack Thompson says he's waiting for confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about four possible North Texas Zika cases. "We're still waiting on CDC confirmation, whether they're positive or negative. But the good thing is, as we move forward we won't have to wait as long next time."
Thompson said while screening for the Zika virus is a long process, DCHHS is making plans to test people for the disease right here in North Texas. "Dallas County Health and Human Services is getting our lab up and running to do Zika testing next week. And that is going to help get faster turnaround on tests for those pregnant women who have traveled from those endemic countries."
The world is paying attention after a person in Dallas County became infected with the Zika virus through sexual contact. It is the first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus in the United States.
While the Zika virus rarely results in hospitalization or death, the biggest concern is the virus's possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads.
Testing continues across North Texas to ensure the Aedes aegypti mosquito isn't in the region. Thompson said once DCHHS testing gets underway, workers will try to identify those most as risk for the virus. "I think the concern of course is to pregnant females and the birth defects associated with the Zika virus," he said. "We do not have any Zika-carrying mosquitoes in the North Texas area. We should follow the CDC recommendation. Pregnant women should not be traveling to these endemic countries where there is a Zika outbreak."
Recommendations to avoid Zika virus are similar to West Nile virus. North Texas health officials are urging residents to:
- DEET—Use bug spray and protect 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 cleaning out gutters
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