Daily Brief: 2017.4.5
THREAT ANALYSIS
Zika Testing Device
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories has developed a smartphone-controlled battery-operated diagnostic device that can detect Zika, dengue and chikungunya within 30 minutes. The device reportedly weighs under a pound and costs as little as $100. The low-cost portable solution could help clinicians make faster decisions about patient care and enable them to rapidly alert public health officials so they can take action.
(Source: Sandia National Laboratories, Health Data Management)
Zika is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito. However, the virus can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse. Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Other symptoms may include muscle pain and headaches.
(Sources: CDC, WHO)
So far, Zika cases have been documented across 50 countries. In the United States, there have been 4,886 travel related cases and 222 locally acquired cases. In Indiana, there have been 51 cases, all of which were travel related. Florida (216) and Texas (6) are the only states to document locally acquired cases. US territories have reported a total of 38,303 cases of Zika.
(Sources: CDC)
ACTION STEPS
- If you are planning on vacationing, please review the CDC’s Zika Travel Notice page.
- If you are planning on traveling to an area that is known for Zika transmission, Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents.
- Even if you do not feel sick, travelers returning to the United States from an area with Zika should take steps to prevent mosquito bites for 3 weeks so they do not spread Zika to mosquitoes that could spread the virus to other people.
(Sources: CDC)