SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) -- The governor of Florida declared a
health emergency Wednesday in four counties where the Zika virus has
been detected.
In Texas, officials are investigating whether the mosquito-borne illness was spread through sexual contact in the first case that's been transmitted within the U.S.
Although there are no cases in Kansas, local health professionals are working to minimize the potential risk.
The Centers for Disease Control is warning pregnant women against traveling to countries with high rates of Zika virus infections.
While typical symptoms are mild--fever, tiredness, joint pain, inflammation of the eyes--and last about a week, the illness can harm a fetus, causing babies to be born with a life-long condition called microcephaly.
"The brain does not develop, the head size is smaller, leading to cognitive problems," said Dr. Maggie Hagan.
Hagan is an infectious disease specialist at Via Christi. She says hospital staff is on the lookout for the virus. Since it's not yet mosquito season in Kansas, she says the concern right now is people returning from trips to South and Latin American countries, where the virus is spreading rapidly.
"The biggest thing we want to do is get a travel history from our patients," Hagan said.
In conjunction, the Sedgwick County Health Department will monitor mosquito populations this summer to find out if the species that carries Zika is in the area.
"Because we're on the very northern border of where the territory is for this one particular mosquito, we don't have a lot of those mosquitoes. So it's not a cause for panic at this time," said epidemiologist Chris Steward.
Since new finding show the disease may also be spread through sexual contact, the threat level could increase substantially in the coming months. Experts say, though, it's still too early to tell what the impact will be both on a local and global scale.
"I don't think we need to be terribly alarmed about this right now, thinking about our upcoming mosquito season this summer. Of course, that may change," Hagan said.
There's no vaccine, so avoiding mosquito bites is the best prevention. That means:
-Don't be outside at dawn and dusk-Wear long sleeves-Use insect repellent-Drain any areas of standing water
To minimize the risk of sexually transmitted infections, doctors say abstain from sex or use a condom.
In Texas, officials are investigating whether the mosquito-borne illness was spread through sexual contact in the first case that's been transmitted within the U.S.
Although there are no cases in Kansas, local health professionals are working to minimize the potential risk.
The Centers for Disease Control is warning pregnant women against traveling to countries with high rates of Zika virus infections.
While typical symptoms are mild--fever, tiredness, joint pain, inflammation of the eyes--and last about a week, the illness can harm a fetus, causing babies to be born with a life-long condition called microcephaly.
"The brain does not develop, the head size is smaller, leading to cognitive problems," said Dr. Maggie Hagan.
Hagan is an infectious disease specialist at Via Christi. She says hospital staff is on the lookout for the virus. Since it's not yet mosquito season in Kansas, she says the concern right now is people returning from trips to South and Latin American countries, where the virus is spreading rapidly.
"The biggest thing we want to do is get a travel history from our patients," Hagan said.
In conjunction, the Sedgwick County Health Department will monitor mosquito populations this summer to find out if the species that carries Zika is in the area.
"Because we're on the very northern border of where the territory is for this one particular mosquito, we don't have a lot of those mosquitoes. So it's not a cause for panic at this time," said epidemiologist Chris Steward.
Since new finding show the disease may also be spread through sexual contact, the threat level could increase substantially in the coming months. Experts say, though, it's still too early to tell what the impact will be both on a local and global scale.
"I don't think we need to be terribly alarmed about this right now, thinking about our upcoming mosquito season this summer. Of course, that may change," Hagan said.
There's no vaccine, so avoiding mosquito bites is the best prevention. That means:
-Don't be outside at dawn and dusk-Wear long sleeves-Use insect repellent-Drain any areas of standing water
To minimize the risk of sexually transmitted infections, doctors say abstain from sex or use a condom.
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