Health officials in Mississippi have reported the second case of the Zika virus.
The Mississippi State Department of Health said Friday that the case involves a Noxubee County resident who recently traveled to Haiti. The announcement follows one day after the first case was reported involving a resident from Madison County who had also traveled to Haiti.
Zika is spread through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which hasn't been detected in Mississippi since the mid-1980s, and it's known for causing birth defects to infants if contracted during pregnancy, with symptoms including fever, rashes, join pain and conjunctivitis. However, death from the virus is very rare, and while these symptoms can last from several days to a week, 80 percent of infected people show no symptoms at all.
Despite the lack of reported deaths from Zika, the virus has so far been reported in about 30 countries, mostly in the Caribbean, Central and South America, though it has been reported in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands for years. There is currently no available treatment or vaccine for the virus.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs said that travel-associated Zika cases have been reported in three U.S. territories and 36 other states.
"With late spring and summer approaching, we know it is a popular time for mission trips and vacations to these areas. Please be especially mindful of protecting yourself from mosquitoes while you're abroad. Simple steps can make a big difference," Dobbs added.
The MSDH is currently conducting surveillance on all mosquito populations in Mississippi and is recommending that pregnant women, as well as women who may get pregnant in the near future, avoid traveling to countries where Zika is transmitted as well as having sexual contact with any male that has recently returned from these countries. Having protected sex using a condom would be the only exception. Authorities have so far confirmed six cases from sex between an infected male and his female partner.
Women are advised to continue taking these precautions for the duration of the pregnancy. The MSDH is also advising everyone who is traveling to countries with Zika outbreaks to take precautions, which include using mosquito repellent containing DEET while outdoors, avoiding areas where mosquitoes are common, and wearing loss, light-colored clothes so that their arms and legs are covered when outdoors at day and nighttime.
Precautions have also been issued for those coming back from countries with Zika outbreaks in order to avoid mosquito bites in Mississippi and prevent themselves from transmitting the virus to local mosquitoes. These people should follow these precautions for three weeks.
Dobbs noted that the MSDH is working with medical partners across the state to make sure that people are following the more current guidelines for preventing and testing for Zika.
"The MSDH Public Health Laboratory now has the ability to test for Zika in-house to allow for rapid turnaround and high volume testing should the need arise," Dobbs said.
The reporting of the Mississippi case also follows just one day after a new study suggested that Zika arrived in Brazil through a soccer match in 2013, one year before previously believed and two years before case of the virus were first reported.
