11 Zika Virus Cases Now Reported in Virginia

PHOTO of Asian Tiger mosquito courtesy of CDC

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The Virginia Department of Health reports there are now 11 cases of the Zika virus reported in Virginia as of Thursday. Of those 11 cases, three of them are reported in the northern region of Virginia. The people in Virginia contracted the virus by traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing, the health department said.

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (A. aegypti and A. albopictus), as well as from mother to unborn child and through sexual contact.

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta says that nationwide, as of Wednesday:

• There have been 358 travel-associated Zika virus disease cases reported
• Locally acquired vector-borne cases reported: 0
• Of the total, 358:
  • 31 with the virus are pregnant
  • 7 cases were sexually transmitted
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome: 1

In Northern Virginia, officials are keeping an eye on the virus. "Given the increased concerns about this virus, we will look for additional ways to communicate the important prevention steps, particularly wearing insect repellent and getting rid of standing water," said Shawn Kiernan, Communicable Disease Epidemiologist with the Fairfax County Health Department, in a recent online chat about the Zika virus.

Fairfax County will work with community partners to make sure information reaches all residents, including those who may not speak English as a first language, he said.

Most people who get the Zika virus don't even show symptoms, but a woman who is pregnant can pass the virus to her unborn baby. Government scientists reported Wednesday they have determined that the Zika virus causes severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

While researchers learn more about the risk of Zika virus infection during pregnancy, CDC is advising pregnant women to avoid travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women and women who are trying to become pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant should talk to their health care provider before traveling to Zika-affected areas and follow steps to prevent mosquito bites while traveling.

If you feel that you may have Zika virus, you should talk to your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will contact the local health department to determine if testing is necessary. (Learn more about testing in Virginia here.)

"Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought," Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC deputy director, said this week. "And so while we absolutely hope we don't see widespread local transmission in the continental U.S., we need the states to be ready for that."

Mosquito season in Northern Virginia is defined as May through October. Zika virus is typically spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, but the Aedes albopictus, or Asian Tiger mosquito, which is common in Northern Virginia, can also transmit it.

"Although mosquito testing for Zika virus is not currently in place, we do hope to have that option available during the mosquito season," said Joshua Smith, Disease Carrying Insects Program Manager for Fairfax County, in the online chat about Zika. "We do have different types of mosquito traps that we use in our surveillance activities and one of them is an effective surveillance trap for the Asian Tiger mosquito, a potential carrier of the Zika virus."

Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggs in containers of water. The county and CDC advise that to prevent mosquitoes in your yard, eliminate standing water. Tip and toss standing water from containers like tires, buckets, flower pots, drain pipes, tarps, bird baths, toys, etc. Discard containers or place indoors.

If you cannot dump water from a container, treat it with a larvicide like Bacillus thuringiensis var.israelensis (follow label instructions). If mosquitoes are flying and biting, use insecticides in your yard to control them. Treat areas where they hide, like bushy green plants, ivy and bamboo (follow label instructions).

For mosquitoes to cause a Zika outbreak in the United States, the CDC says all of the following must happen:

• People infected with a virus (like Zika, dengue, or chikungunya) must enter the United States.
• An Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito in the United States bites an infected person during the first week of infection when the virus can be found in the person’s blood.
• The infected mosquito lives long enough for the virus to multiply and for the mosquito to bite another person.
• The cycle continues multiple times to start an outbreak.