Two U.S. women report miscarriages
The CDC reports that two U.S. women who contracted the Zika virus while traveling out of the country miscarried after returning home, and the virus was found in their placentas. Miscarriages have been also reported in Brazil.
CDC issues safe-sex guidelines
The CDC says men exposed to the Zika virus and who have a pregnant partner should use a condom or abstain from sex until the baby is born, and that pregnant women who have been exposed to Zika should talk with their doctors about testing for the virus. Director Frieden:
Each passing day, the linkage between Zika and microcephaly becomes stronger…The priority is protecting pregnant women. If you’re pregnant, and you’re thinking about traveling to a place were Zika is spreading, please don’t. If you live in an area where Zika is spreading and you’re pregnant, please protect yourself against mosquitoes. That’s the bottom line…We know that four out of five people with Zika will have no symptoms. So our new guidance says pregnant women without symptoms can be offered testing between two to 12 weeks after travel.
Tests include serological blood tests, in addition to the ultrasounds recommended in the CDC’s first round of guidance.
We heard that serial ultrasounds were very challenging to the health community, so we are now rolling out blood test kits.
On reports that the virus can be transmitted through saliva.
We are not issuing guidance on kissing. We take all reports seriously, but we need more information including the methodology of the study. The bottom line is Zika is primarily a mosquito-borne disease.
First US case from Brazil outbreak
The CDC says a traveler in Houston from Latin America, is diagnosed with Zika, the first diagnosis in the United States since an outbreak began in Latin America.
CDC security failures
A report shows CDC fails to prevent power outages between January 2013 and July 2014, leading to staff evacuation to prevent pathogen exposure. The report indicates one incident in Building 23 of Atlanta, Georgia where a lightning strike lead to airflow failures, the inability to open hallway doors, and loss of phone communication. The report also includes instances of worker pathogen exposure by needles, maintenance workers opening doors to restricted areas, and malfunctions in gear that protect scientists from pathogens. However, the report lacks comprehensive details. Biosafety Consultant:
This is not a comprehensive list. I look at these documents, and it’s very clear to me that leadership has not defined for the workforce what is a reportable incident or accident.
Colorado Representative:
It is unacceptable that the CDC, our nation’s premier institution committed to preventing the spread of infectious disease, has not resolved these problems after years of oversight and attention. It is more vital than ever that the CDC, from leadership on down, commit to a strategy that will prevent future lapses in safety.
CDC: Don’t kiss chickens
CDC links Salmonella outbreak affecting at least 181 people in 40 states to affectionate behavior between people and live poultry. CDC recommends regularly washing hands from handling poultry, keeping live poultry away from homes, and breastfeeding to protect infants from salmonella.
86 percent of the 95 ill people who were interviewed reported contact with live poultry in the week before their illness bag … [Many] reported kissing or cuddling with their live poultry.
HIV outbreak worsens
The CDC reports that the HIV outbreak that has been going on in Indiana since December is growing. Officials:
The outbreak has been ongoing since mid-December. As of Friday, 142 people have tested positive for HIV, with 136 confirmed cases and six more with preliminary positive test results, all in rural Scott and Jackson counties. This is a huge number of cases for an area that has a population of only a few thousand people.
Bourbon virus
The CDC discovers a new virus termed “Bourbon,” naming it after the county located in Kansas with the first fatality and is only the eighth known case of its type.
The victim in Kansas, described as a man in his 50s, had been bitten by ticks multiple times in the days before falling ill.