4 More Possible Zika Virus Cases In Dallas County
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County Health and Human Services is looking into four more possible cases of the Zika virus in North Texas. Health officials are now waiting to receive the specimen results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dallas County became the focus of the world earlier this week after a person there became infected with the Zika virus through sexual contact. It was the first case of sexually-transmitted Zika virus in the United States. Those patients have both recovered fully, officials said, and have been advised to follow up with their regular physician.
Health officials conducted mosquito surveillance in the area where those two patients live, and did not find anything of worry.
The first of the patients had gotten infected while in Venezuela. The second was infected through sexual contact back in North Texas. There have been nearly a dozen Zika virus cases reported statewide.
DCHHS has established a Zika Task Force that is scheduled to meet weekly with officials in 26 Dallas County municipalities to gather information, offer updates and ensure that city leaders are "on the same page" in terms of response. During this week's meeting, Dallas County entomologist Scott Sawlis assured everyone that the mosquito management system currently in being executed is also effective for the mosquito that carries Zika virus.
This all came just days after the World Health Organization declared a state of emergency over the Zika virus and a suspected link to birth defects. While the Zika virus rarely results in hospitalization or death, the biggest concern is the suspected link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads.
The virus was first discovered in Brazil last year, and there has been a spike in babies born with brain defects and small heads in that nation. According to officials with the CDC, there is no risk to a fetus in a sexually-transmitted case of Zika virus. While a link between Zika virus and microcephaly has not been definitively established, Dr. Sofia Ansari, infectious disease specialist with the Methodist Health System, had some suggestions for North Texans.
"Anyone who has recently traveled to these areas -- that is South America, Central America and the Caribbean -- they should be very careful and try to use protection," Ansari stated. "We don't know about long-term studies regarding Zika virus and its association with pregnancy. The best thing would be prevention at this time."
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 medicine, like acetaminophen, to help with fever and pain. Health workers said that aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and naproxen, should not be taken.
The best way to avoid Zika virus is to avoid mosquito bites and to avoid sexual contact with a person who has Zika virus. But it is important to note that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bite during the day. The advice for avoiding Zika virus is similar to that for West Nile virus.
North Texas health officials are urging residents to:
- 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.
