MONTGOMERY– State health officials confirmed the first case of the Zika virus in Cullman County recently. The resident contracted the illness while traveling in an impacted area, and was diagnosed back home in Alabama. Sen. Paul Bussman, R-Cullman today issued the following statement via social media.
"Wanted to update you all on the ZIKA issue that was identified in Cullman Co. I have been communicating with Dr. Tom Miller, the director of AL Public Health. The case in Cullman Co. was contracted while the resident was travelling out of the United States – NOT in Alabama. That is very important. AL Public Health is closely monitoring the patient. The patient is considered contagious for blood transmission by mosquitoes from 7-10 days. So the patient is not to be exposed to a possible mosquito bite during that time period.
"Also, mosquitoes are somewhat like homebodies. They will only travel about 150 yds. So AL Public Health has done a very thorough inspection of the property within that radius and have eliminated all possible mosquito breeding grounds such as standing water, etc. They have done a great job with containment. This is all good news. Just continue to use common sense, dispose of standing water and use mosquito repellant when outside and exposed to possible mosquito bites. The only reported cases of ZIKA from mosquito transmission in the US has been in extreme south FL. I’ll keep you posted if other info arises."
From the Alabama Department of Public Health:
Zika Virus
Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. These are the same mosquitoes that spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.
These mosquitoes typically lay eggs in and near standing water in things like buckets, bowls, animal dishes, flower pots and vases. They are aggressive daytime biters, prefer to bite people, and live indoors and outdoors near people.
Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people through bites.
About 1 in 5 people infected with Zika virus become ill (i.e., develop Zika). The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week. Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for a few days but it can be found longer in some people. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and deaths are rare.
Numbers of Reported Cases of Zika Virus by cullmansense on Scribd
