Nine New Yorkers Test Positive for Zika Virus
The Zika virus has made its way to the East Coast as nine patients have the mosquito-borne illness.
On February 1, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) confirmed nine people, who had traveled to a country where Zika is ongoing, have been diagnosed with the virus. As a result, officials are offering free advanced lab testing at the Wadsworth Center for individuals who traveled to infected countries.
“I encourage any New Yorkers who have recently traveled to impacted countries to stay informed and consult their health care professionals if they develop symptoms,” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said in a DOH statement.
The first case of Zika from this outbreak in the United States was identified in January. A man in Texas returned from El Salvador and began to show symptoms. Shortly after, a pregnant woman in Hawaii gave birth to a baby with microcephaly — the baby brain-shrinking condition strongly suspected to be caused by Zika.
“Clearly we are most concerned about providing testing for pregnant women, which will provide them and their doctors with the information they need to make the right healthcare decisions,” continued DOH Commissioner Howard Zucker, MD.
Symptoms associated with the Zika virus are similar to many other illnesses — which is just one of the challenges with the virus. The most common are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes).
Officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as local health departments to increase education and prevention efforts.
