5% of tested New Yorkers have Zika virus

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Zika statistics show 5% of tested New Yorkers have virus

As of Friday, New York City has reported 182 cases of Zika, 20 of whom were pregnant at the time of diagnosis. To date, 3,605 people in the city have been tested for the virus for a 5% infection …

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Zika statistics show 5% of tested New Yorkers have virus

BY Jacqueline Cutler

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 12:19 PM

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The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector for transmitting the Zika virus.

(Andre Penner/AP)

As of Friday, New York City has reported 182 cases of Zika, 20 of whom were pregnant at the time of diagnosis.
To date, 3,605 people in the city have been tested for the virus for a 5% infection rate. All of the confirmed cases of Zika in the city are from a result of traveling abroad. There have also been two cases of Guillain-Barré, a syndrome that affects the nervous system and has been associated with the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Zika statistics for New York City were reported in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report as part of an effort to determine which demographic populations were getting tested. Officials from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene used Census data to cross-reference testing — rates with neighborhoods that have residents from regions at the center of the Zika crisis — Brazil, the Caribbean, Central America.

The number of people living in New York City and born in countries with active Zika virus transmission.

(cdc)

There was “little correspondence,” the report said. The highest testing rates among women 15-44 were in neighborhoods with the fewest immigrants from countries where Zika is a significant risk.
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To address this testing disparity, DHMH has stepped up its outreach programs and distributed educational materials in English, Spanish and 10 other languages to health care providers.

This map shows Zika virus testing in New York City per 10,000 people among females in childbearing ages of 15 to 44.

(cdc)

Epidemiologists are working with doctors to follow the pregnancies of those infected. It was unclear how many, if any, of the pregnancies had come to term. The NYC Department of Health will not release information about the infants because of privacy concerns, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The health department urges pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant to delay travel to Zika-affected countries.

Epidemiologists are working with doctors to follow the pregnancies of those infected. It was unclear how many, if any, of the pregnancies had come to term.

(Highwaystarz-Photography/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Zika can be transmitted from mother to baby. Some infants born with the virus have microcephaly, a severe birth defect where babies have very small heads and are developmentally delayed. The virus has also manifested itself with hearing loss, eye problems and stunted growth.
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Zika is spread primarily by the Andes species of mosquito. It can also be spread through sexual contact. So far, cases have shown only men transmitting it to women. Health officials recommend that those who travel to areas where the virus is common to use condoms and birth control while traveling and after they return.
Most people who are bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus have no reaction. Some develop typical flu-like symptoms such as fever, rash and aches.
When peak mosquito season hits the city, July through September, health officials have selected 21 primary care clinics and emergency departments to handle expected cases.

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