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State confirms first Zika virus pregnancy case in WV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There are now eight confirmed Zika virus cases in West Virginia. The latest involves a pregnant woman that traveled outside the country on a missions trip, the state Bureau of Public Health announced Tuesday.

All eight cases in the Mountain State have that out-of-country component, state Chief Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta told reporters Tuesday in Charleston.

WV Chief Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta spoke with reporters Tuesday.
WV Chief Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta spoke with reporters Tuesday.

“All of the cases in West Virginia are related to travel abroad to those areas that are endemic to the Zika virus,” Gupta said.

None of the approximately 1,300 cases in the U.S. have been because of local mosquito transmission, the state Department of Health and Human Resources said.

The state is watching all eight cases closely as part of its Zika Action Plan.

“We’re tracking the illnesses associated with those cases and then the recovery of those individuals. When it becomes the issue of pregnancy, it takes a different importance and significance itself,” Gupta said.

There remain a lot of unanswered questions about the virus and its impact on pregnant women and their unborn children. The rate at which the virus is passed on by birth still isn’t known, Gupta said.

“The pregnancy will now be monitored by the Bureau for Public Health’s Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health through the U.S. Zika Pregnancy registry due to the increased risk of microcephaly and other potential birth defects.”

There have been 36 possible Zika cases tested in West Virginia with eight of the 36 being actual confirmed cases. There remain three test results outstanding—all three are pregnancies, Gupta said.

The state DHHR has launched a Zika webpage, zikawv.org, as part of the state’s soon-to-be-released Zika Action Plan, Gupta said, but he reminded state residents again Tuesday the best defense against the spread of the virus is for residents to take precautions.

“I feel confident at this point but it helps a lot when individuals, residents, can take precautions every day to make sure they are not having mosquito bites,” he said.





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