CDC’s Zika-Related Warning List includes Two More destinations

On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added two destinations to its list of places facing Zika-related travel warnings.

The CDC has been working with public health officials to monitor for ongoing Zika virus transmission. CDC has placed Trinidad and Tobago and the Marshall Islands into the list of areas with high risk of Zika transmission. The advice given by the CDC is a Level 2 warning that says travelers must ‘Practice Enhanced Precautions’.

The particular regions where Zika virus transmission is ongoing are generally tough to find out and will probably keep on changing with time.

You can save yourself from contracting the virus by protecting yourself from mosquito bites. The CDC said that Zika-spreading mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters, though they have been known to attack post dusk also. While the development of a Zika vaccine is in progress, presently, no vaccine or medicine exists to treat a Zika infection.

CDC has issued a warning that travelers going to regions where the virus is spreading may contract the infection and not become ill until they return home, or may carry the virus back home and never become ill.

CDC mentioned, “Some people who are infected don’t have any symptoms. People who have symptoms have reported fever, joint pain, and red eyes. Other commonly reported symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to week”.

It added that the severe disease that needs hospitalization is rare and the death toll is low. As per CDC’s suggestions, travelers who are going to regions with ongoing Zika virus transmission must monitor for symptoms or illness on coming back home. And, if they fall sick, they must consult a healthcare professional and tell where and when they had traveled.