What you need to know about the Zika virus
Dr. Ben Kruskal, chief of infectious diseases at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, has the following advice for New Englanders after the first case of Zika was discovered in Massachusetts.
A doctor treated a 6-week old baby born with microcephaly in Brazil. Microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is abnormally small, has been linked to the Zika virus.
A Boston resident is infected with the first reported case of the Zika virus in Massachusetts. The patient, who contracted the virus while traveling abroad, is expected to make a full recovery, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.
Zika is “spreading explosively,’’ according to the World Health Organization, which estimates up to four million people could be infected with the virus by the end of the year. The illness is transmitted through mosquito bites.
There are currently Zika outbreaks in Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, and the Pacific Islands, with more countries likely to follow, reports the Boston Public Health Commission. There is not a Zika outbreak in the U.S., but there are 32 documented cases of Americans who contracted it while traveling overseas.
The virus produces mild symptoms, which only affect about 20 percent of those infected. The symptoms include fever, headache, and rash. Nearly all of those infected with Zika make a full recovery.
What’s alarming health officials is the connection between the virus and microcephaly, a disorder that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads. There is no vaccine to prevent Zika and no medicine to treat it.
We asked Dr. Ben Kruskal, chief of infectious disease at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, about Zika and the risk it poses to people in New England.
How worried should we be here in New England about the Zika virus?
I think it’s pretty unlikely we’ll have much, if any, local transmission.
The first case of the Zika virus in Massachusetts was confirmed on Thursday. How likely is it that more New Englanders will get the virus?
I think it’s very likely that people who travel will get it.
There are 32 documented cases in the U.S., and those infected caught it while traveling outside of the U.S. Are there mosquitoes carrying Zika in the U.S.?
There are mosquitoes that are capable of carrying it in the U.S. I don’t think we have been aware of mosquitoes actually carrying it. Aedes egypti, [a mosquito known for transmitting the virus], is found in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and Hawaii. Another species that may potentially transmit it, that can make it as far north as here in the summertime, is called Aedes albopictus.
How can New Englanders avoid this virus?
The simplest way is to avoid traveling to the areas where transmission has been reported. I would assume that all of Latin America and the Caribbean either has or will have seen cases.
What is your advice to pregnant women in New England?
The vast majority of people who get it have no ill effects whatsoever. A possible association with a particular birth defect called microcephaly means pregnant women certainly should take caution. Probably the most vulnerable stage is the early stage of pregnancy. That’s the pattern of other infections that have caused similar birth defects.
Brazilian virologist Gubio Soares displayed the isolated Zika virus in Brazil. He works at the Science and Health Institute in Salvador, Brazil.
The CDC is advising pregnant women avoid traveling to countries where outbreaks are present. Is this type of advisory unusual?
It is. The CDC hates disrupting people’s normal lives, hates disrupting commerce, both of which are consequences of this recommendation. On the other hand, I don’t think there’s any way to avoid this current recommendation, given what we already know.
If local folks have traveled to countries with outbreaks, what should they do?
They’ll have symptoms compatible with Zika infections within a couple of weeks of leaving the endemic area. But women who traveled may not have symptoms, but may still be infected.
Eighty percent of people who become infected do not have symptoms, correct?
Probably higher. The good news is, the way they are checked — women who do not have symptoms — is a standard ultrasound.
What else is important to know about Zika?
There is no person-to-person transmission. Even if a woman is pregnant and a partner travels to an endemic area and comes back sick, they can’t transmit it to their partner. So mosquitoes are really the only well-established mode of transmission.
What is your overall message to New Englanders about Zika?
Women who are pregnant should really consider carefully whether they want or need to travel to an endemic area. For women who do travel, taking precautions is paramount. Keep your eyes and ears open to what may happen down the line, especially in the southern U.S.
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