The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today a fifth Zika case following on the heels of the Friday announcement of a fourth case.
The new case is a New Castle County adult male who traveled in May. Like the four other cases, the person acquired the illness from a mosquito bite while traveling abroad.
The first three cases announced in February and March were New Castle County residents (two women and a man). The fourth case (a man) is a Kent County resident who also traveled abroad in May.
None of the five Delaware residents are considered infectious if they are bitten by a mosquito that then bites another person; the virus leaves the blood after about a week and all current Delaware cases are two weeks to several months old.
There have been no confirmed cases of transmission by a local mosquito bite anywhere in the continental U.S. Pregnancy is not a factor in any of the five Delaware cases.
While much less common, Zika can also be spread by men via vaginal, anal, and oral sexual activity. DPH continues to recommend condom use for men who have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms for at least six months after symptoms first appeared.
DPH recently announced new Zika public education materials targeting pregnant women and their male partners, including offering Zika Prevention Kits to pregnant women. The kits will be distributed at Delaware Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinics and other locations. Recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the kit contains mosquito repellent, condoms, thermometers, and brochures. DPH will also be offering updated information and links to educational materials, which can be found at:dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html.
Zika outbreaks have been reported in Central and South America and the Caribbean. For an up-to-date list of CDC travel warnings, visithttp://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information. Anyone who lives or travels in the impacted areas can be infected.
Zika, a generally mild illness, has been linked to serious birth defects in Brazil and other countries and is most often spread by mosquitoes. Transmission can occur from a mother to her fetus. Sexual transmission from male to female has also been confirmed.
“As with the fourth case, we are not surprised at a fifth Delaware case given the amount of global travel these days and we expect more to come,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “It simply reinforces the message that taking mosquito bite prevention steps while abroad is very important. The illness continues to show no symptoms in the majority of people and symptoms are generally mild for those who do become ill. However, pregnant women and their male partners with a travel history to the countries with Zika should be especially concerned and take precautions because of the potentially very serious birth defects linked to the disease.”
Added Medical Director Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh, “The U.S. and District of Columbia now have 691 confirmed Zika cases as of June 8, none of which were local mosquito-borne. That may begin to change if we see more and more cases in the continental U.S., which increases the likelihood of local mosquitoes being infected with the disease. Preventing mosquito bites and using condoms here and abroad remain the best protection.”
