CDC issues travel warning about Zika Fever in Tahiti
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a travel notice for Americans traveling to the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti, Tahaa, Uturoa, Bora-Bora, Taiohae, and Arutua due to a Zika fever outbreak.
Image/CIA
The French Polynesia Department of Health has confirmed an outbreak of Zika fever on the islands saying several hundred cases are suspected.
No hospitalizations or deaths have been reported.
The federal health agency notes that travelers who go to certain places in Africa, Asia, and the Western Pacific are at risk of getting Zika virus (see map). The mosquito that carries Zika virus can bite during the day and night, both indoors and outdoors, and often lives around buildings in urban areas.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus related to yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses; however, ZIKV produces a comparatively mild disease in humans. It was first isolated from an infected rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947.
Its relatively rare to see ZIKV outside of Africa and Asia.
The virus is transmitted to humans via mosquitoes of the genus Aedes.
Information regarding pathogenesis of ZIKV is scarce but mosquito-borne flaviviruses are thought to replicate initially in dendritic cells near the site of inoculation then spread to lymph nodes and the bloodstream.
Symptoms may include a headache, a maculopapular rash covering the face, neck, trunk, and upper arms,which may spread to the palms and soles. Transient fever, malaise, and back pain may also develop.
ZIKV can be diagnosed by PCR tests, which detect viral RNA, and an ELISA has been developed at the Arboviral Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Ft. Collins, CO, USA) to detect immunoglobulin (Ig) M to ZIKV.
There is currently no vaccine or medicine to prevent Zika fever. Travelers can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.
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