A woman carries her grandson as a health official collects mosquitos
and larva at her home to check for Zika virus at a village in Phnom
Penh, Cambodia, on Feb. 4, 2016. SAMRANG PRING / Reuters
"Our labs are literally working around the clock to get more test kits available," Frieden said.
"Although sexual transmission of Zika virus infection is possible, mosquito bites remain the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted. Because there currently is no vaccine or treatment for Zika virus, the best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to
prevent mosquito bites," CDC said in its advisory. CDC issued a travel advisory last month telling pregnant women to
stay away from countries where Zika is circulating. It's still not 100 percent certain that Zika does cause microcephaly, Frieden said.
"Because this phenomenon is so new, we are, quite literally, discovering more and more about it each and every day," Frieden told reporters. The same is true for a rare but dangerous neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre disease.
"And because it's new and because it can be so severe, it's scary," Frieden said.
Also on Friday, the World Health Organization said 26 countries in the Americas now have Zika circulating. "Seven countries have reported an increase in the incidence of cases of microcephaly and/or Guillain-Barré syndrome concomitantly with a Zika virus outbreak," WHO said. Brazil has the most Zika cases with more than a million, and Colombia has more than 20,000, WHO said.
It's not known at what stage in pregnancy Zika would be most dangerous, so any pregnant women should take care, Frieden said.
"Although sexual transmission of Zika virus infection is possible, mosquito bites remain the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted."Women traveling to or living in Zika-affected areas who are not pregnant need to think about what they want to do, Frieden said.
"For women of reproductive age, healthcare providers should discuss strategies to prevent unintended pregnancy, including counseling on family planning and the correct and consistent use of effective contraceptive methods, in the context of the potential risks of Zika virus transmission," CDC advised.
Frieden repeated his belief that Zika will not spread explosively across the U.S., because the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the virus are only found in very warm areas.
He said mosquito control is difficult, labor-intensive and expensive, but that all communities would benefit from doing as much as they can.
So far, Frieden said, CDC has heard about 51 cases of people coming back with Zika infections to the continental U.S. Six of these have been pregnant women and in one case a baby was born with microcephaly -- a woman in Hawaii who had been living in Brazil.
"No doubt many more travelers will return to the U.S. with Zika infections," Frieden said. "Some will be pregnant women."
"Our labs are literally working around the clock to get more test kits available," Frieden said.
"Although sexual transmission of Zika virus infection is possible, mosquito bites remain the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted. Because there currently is no vaccine or treatment for Zika virus, the best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to
prevent mosquito bites," CDC said in its advisory. CDC issued a travel advisory last month telling pregnant women to
stay away from countries where Zika is circulating. It's still not 100 percent certain that Zika does cause microcephaly, Frieden said.
"Because this phenomenon is so new, we are, quite literally, discovering more and more about it each and every day," Frieden told reporters. The same is true for a rare but dangerous neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre disease.
"And because it's new and because it can be so severe, it's scary," Frieden said.
Also on Friday, the World Health Organization said 26 countries in the Americas now have Zika circulating. "Seven countries have reported an increase in the incidence of cases of microcephaly and/or Guillain-Barré syndrome concomitantly with a Zika virus outbreak," WHO said. Brazil has the most Zika cases with more than a million, and Colombia has more than 20,000, WHO said.
It's not known at what stage in pregnancy Zika would be most dangerous, so any pregnant women should take care, Frieden said.
"Although sexual transmission of Zika virus infection is possible, mosquito bites remain the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted."Women traveling to or living in Zika-affected areas who are not pregnant need to think about what they want to do, Frieden said.
"For women of reproductive age, healthcare providers should discuss strategies to prevent unintended pregnancy, including counseling on family planning and the correct and consistent use of effective contraceptive methods, in the context of the potential risks of Zika virus transmission," CDC advised.
Frieden repeated his belief that Zika will not spread explosively across the U.S., because the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the virus are only found in very warm areas.
He said mosquito control is difficult, labor-intensive and expensive, but that all communities would benefit from doing as much as they can.
So far, Frieden said, CDC has heard about 51 cases of people coming back with Zika infections to the continental U.S. Six of these have been pregnant women and in one case a baby was born with microcephaly -- a woman in Hawaii who had been living in Brazil.
"No doubt many more travelers will return to the U.S. with Zika infections," Frieden said. "Some will be pregnant women."
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