The Mississippi State Department of Health reported Oktibbeha County’s second instance of travel-related Zika virus Monday, bringing the state total of cases to 11 for 2016.
Of the state’s two new cases reported, both the Oktibbeha County resident and a Neshoba County resident recently traveled outside of the country. An MDHS release states the Oktibbeha County resident recently traveled to St. Lucia, which is part of the Lesser Antilles island chain in the Caribbean Sea north of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, while the Neshoba County resident previously traveled to Jamaica.
Another Oktibbeha County resident became the state’s third confirmed carrier of the virus in April after previously traveling to Haiti.
“It’s important to remember that all of our cases that have been reported in Mississippi are travel related,” said state epidemiologist Thomas Dobbs in the release. “It is crucial that pregnant women not travel to countries where Zika is actively being transmitted.”
Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, causes several complications in developing fetuses, including brain damage, hearing and vision loss and impaired growth. For the mother, the virus can cause mild illness with symptoms, such as fever, joint pain, conjunctivitis or rash, lasting several days to a week.
Almost 80 percent of those infected have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, the release states.
The virus has been observed in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and some Pacific Ocean islands for years but recently spread to approximately 30 countries, mostly in the Caribbean Sea and Central and South America.
The breed of mosquito spreading the disease — Aedes aegypti — has not been observed in Mississippi since the 1990s. MSDH is testing for the presence of those mosquitoes across the state.
MSDH recommends using an EPA-registered mosquito repellent that contains DEET; removing all sources of standing water around your home and yard; wearing loose, light-colored, long clothing while outdoors; and avoiding areas where mosquitoes are prevalent.
For more information on the Zika virus, visit HealthMs.com/zika.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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