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Traveling to South America, the Caribbean? Take note of Zika virus

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency, after an increase in infections from the Zika virus.

Right now, the CDC reports there is active transmission in the Caribbean, South and Central America, and Mexico.

This particular virus is spread primarily through mosquitoes. The CDC says there are no locally transmitted diseases now in the United States, but the concern would be anyone traveling to and from the countries where the virus currently is being transmitted.

Doctors say where a lot of the concern has been, is with pregnant women, explaining there is a risk the infection in a mother carrying a child could lead to damage to the brain of that child. In Brazil, there’s been a spike of babies born with microcephaly, which is a very small head. Investigators are still working to figure out whether all those cases are linked to the Zika virus or not.

“Until we know more, we want to counsel women who are expecting to get pregnant or who are pregnant, to avoid travel to high risk areas. Now does that mean that males or other people should not protect themselves against the virus? They need to. We don’t have a medication to treat this; we don’t have a vaccine to prevent it. They need to take precautions,” said Dr. John Christenson, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Riley Hospital for Children.

The Indiana State Department of Health reports we have not had any documented cases of the Zika virus infection in Indiana, but a spokesperson says they “do expect to see cases of Zika virus infection this year in people who have traveled to those countries experiencing the outbreak.”

The spokesperson also says they “conduct ongoing surveillance for human cases of mosquito-borne diseases, including Zika virus.”

They say they are working with health care providers on how to recognize and diagnose Zika virus infection. They also are creating a Zika web page with links to important information.

For more information from the CDC, click here.