Dozens Attend Zika Forum In Richardson
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RICHARDSON (CBSDFW.COM) - With three confirmed cases of Zika virus in Dallas County, individuals, families and pregnant women are on alert of the mosquitoes carrying the virus coming here this summer. Doctors on the medical staff at Methodist Richardson Medical Center answered the public's questions about the virus, its link to birth defects, and precautions to take.
Held in the Women's Services lobby inside Methodist Richardson Medical Center, OBGYNs Denisse Holcomb, MD and Carol Norton, MD joined infectious disease specialists Sofia Ansari, MD and Serge Lartchenko, MD to address the latest news coming from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention according to a news release from the medical center Thursday night.
"I do think this virus will come to Texas. We don't have the Aedes mosquitoes now, but it is present in Texas during monsoon season," said Dr. Sofia Ansari. "Since we started seeing this in Brazil and it has been moving north, I do think we'll see the virus in April or May."
Dallas County has three confirmed Zika virus cases.
Dallas County Health and Human Services said the first patient contracted the virus sexually from a man who recently traveled to Zika-infected Venezuela, who became the second patient. Both patients fully recovered from the virus. The third patient is a 45 year old non-pregnant woman who lives in Dallas, but recently returned from Honduras where she contracted Zika.
The CDC has instituted travel notices warning pregnant women, or women wanting to become pregnant, to avoid many Central and South American countries.
"The CDC is now going further recommending that any man with a pregnant partner not travel to endemic areas; if they have to, then the couple should refrain from intercourse through the pregnancy or use protection consistently," said Dr. Carol Norton. "The incubation period is 2-14 days, but it's believed the virus can stay in bloodstream for 14 days. On record, the longest it has stayed in bodily fluid was in semen lasting for 56 days. Currently, there are no concerns if you had Zika in the past, and you get pregnant soon, the virus will not be passed from mother to baby."
Drs. Holcomb and Norton reassured pregnant mothers in the audience to be cautious but not alarmed, reconfirming that a Zika exposure does not guarantee a microcephalic baby. The link between Zika and microcephaly is still being studied.
Testing is currently underway at Dallas County Health and Human Services, so if you believe you have been infected, doctors say the best advice is to have a test taken.
Results are provided within 24 hours.
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