Pregnant woman, 19, being treated for zika virus

Mérida, Yucatán — The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of zika in a pregnant woman in Yucatán. The patient is a 19-year-old from Kaua, which is 35 kilometers southeast of Mérida.

She first exhibited symptoms June 19.

After 30 weeks’ gestation, the fetus appears OK, reports the health agency. Microcephaly, which causes children to have an abnormally small head, has been linked to the mosquito-borne virus.

The Ministry of Health of Yucatán — SSY — also announced the reinforcement of a strategy to eliminate potential breeding sites of mosquitoes. This year, the state has reported 83 cases of dengue, 10 chikungunya cases, and three zika cases.

The ministry said that citizen participation is of paramount importance in eradicating the menace.

SSY officials urged Meridanos to participate on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17  in the third descacharrización — bulk trash collection, a time to haul away discarded tires, abandoned clunkers and other large debris that could hold rain water. On Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, smaller neighborhoods outside the beltway will participate.

Some zika victims do not exhibit symptoms, but most commonly, they see a rash accompanied by a mild fever.

Also often these ailments are accompanied by conjunctivitis, muscle or joint pain, or general malaise that begins a few days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

A pregnant woman in a village south of Mérida is the first in Yucatán to be infected with zika. Photo: Getty
A pregnant woman in a village south of Mérida is the first in Yucatán to be infected with zika. Photo: Getty

Taking precautions

All people, including pregnant women and women of childbearing age, should avoid exposure to mosquito bites, taking precautions such as wearing clothes that cover the skin, using nets during the day and availing themselves of repellents.

In March 2015, with the increase of dengue cases in Mérida, and with the outbreak of chikungunya, the SSY implemented descacharrización operations, larval control and spraying to eliminate breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Last year four massive descacharrización drives were held in the Yucatecan capital and its satellite towns: in March, September, October and November. More than 2,800 tons of waste were collected.

Starting in 2016, with the appearance of the Zika virus, also transmitted by the same mosquito, five bulk-trash drives were announced to eliminate breeding sites.

SSY staff visited more than 200,000 homes in Merida to investigated.

Source: Sipse

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