Zika Virus: The Latest Updates
Zika Update: St. Thomas
In St. Thomas, Zika outbreak is following the same trend as it did with the chikungunya. The trend peaked and then stayed at the highest level for around six weeks, which is the case right now with Zika. If the trend continues to follow chikungunya outbreak, then there should be a drastic downward trend in a few weeks now.
According to recent stats from the Department of Health, 65 new cases of this outbreak have been identified. Before this report, 589 cases were reported in total. Out of these, 417 patients were confirmed positive for Zika.
The government is helping people by offering free testing at clinical labs and Health offices. The department of health is also using an emergency operations center to speed up the free testing. Patients who have been waiting for their results for more than three weeks can directly reach out the department by calling at the free helpline.
Zika Update: Florida
Florida is another state that has been fighting hard against Zika with over 1,000 cases tested positive.
But that doesn’t mean that the number of homegrown cases in Florida isn’t alarming. In fact, the number of reported cases has reached 150 now.
Zika Update: Miami
Miami has been fighting Zika since July when the first case was reported. Since then, dozens of areas in Miami have reported a large number of Zika cases.
Although the government in Miami is helping through door-to-door testing and insecticides to kill the mosquito population responsible for the outbreak of Zika, the City Commissioner has proposed a new way to fight the virus. This new proposal suggests building bat houses in the areas reporting Zika cases. Bats eat mosquitos – over 3,000 of them in a day.
The City Commissioner has forwarded the proposal asking to make a pilot project to implement this plan. Expect to see many bat houses in Miami in the coming weeks.
Symptoms of Zika
One of the most common symptoms of Zika virus is
severed
join pain. Often, the pain is coupled with rash, which looks like a bump or a red patch in most cases.
As reported by a majority of people tested positive for Zika, the rash takes only a couple of days to spread to the entire body. It usually starts on the face or the neck of the patient.
As the Zika infection progresses, people may feel severe pain in hands and feet.
How to avoid Zika
The best way to avoid Zika is by staying away from mosquitos. Use mosquito repellents and cover your body entirely, leaving no bare skin.
If you can avoid a mosquito bite, you can possibly stay away from this viral infection.
If you see mosquitos around your home or business location often, contact Neoguard and let our experts inspect the area for free. You may be saving yourself, your family and your patron’s serious health issues!