Health & Fitness
75 Zika Cases Reported in Virginia; Six New Cases in One Week
Six new Zika cases reported last week by the Virginia Department of Health; of those six, three of the new cases are in Northern VA suburbs.
As of Sept. 1, the Virginia Department of Health has reported 75 cases of the Zika virus disease in Virginia residents to the CDC; that's six more cases since the last report the previous week.
A baby affected by Zika virus may be born with significant health issues, like microcephaly, according to the CDC. Others may not have apparent symptoms at birth but may develop them over time, according to health officials.
Of the five health districts in the commonwealth, Northern Virginia has reported the most cases, with 39 total as of Thursday, three more than the previous week.
Find out what's happening in Viennafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here's the breakdown by region:
- Northern region (which includes Northern Virginia suburbs): 39
- Northwest region: 7
- Eastern region: 8
- Central region: 12
- Southwest region: 9
All Virginia cases are associated with travel to a Zika-affected area, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The CDC has issued a travel alert (Level 2-Practice Enhanced Precautions) for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
Find out what's happening in Viennafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As of last week, the CDC reports that there have been a total of 2,722 Zika cases reported in the United States, with 35 of those being "locally acquired mosquito-borne cases." Of the 2,722 U.S. Zika cases, at least 624 of them are pregnant women. In Miami, there were 49 non-travel related cases of the Zika virus reported, according to a report Monday by the CBS affiliate in Miami.
On Monday, the Philippines reported its first case of Zika, and officials there told Reuters it was "highly likely" it had been locally transmitted. And CNN reports that "in just one week, Zika cases in Singapore have gone from zero to 258." See the latest Zika-related travel advisories from the CDC here.
The Senate is set to vote on a $1.1 billion Zika bill Tuesday, when Congress returns, but that bill includes the same Planned Parenthood rider that has angered Democrats, CNN reported last week.
Also read: Combating Zika: Medicaid to Cover Cost of Mosquito Repellent
Read more here about the Zika virus, from the CDC.
Photo of mosquito/Shutterstock
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
