The Oregon Health Authority, is advising pregnant women not to travel to Zika-affected countries, and telling others to take precautions.
This statement is released ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro, and serves as a warning to those traveling to affected regions.
OHA says travelers need to take precautions — wear appropriate clothing and use insect repellents with DEET.
State public health Dr. Paul Cieslack says the biggest problem with Zika is its lack of symptoms. He says 80 percent of people won’t necessarily know they’ve been infected, but are still transmitters.
“The other 20 percent have a pretty mild illness," says Cieslack. "It’s rash, fever, muscle aches, joint pains and maybe red eyes that goes away after several days. It’s not, you know, a terribly nasty illness. The only problem is that it can affect the gestating baby’s brain and cause brain damage, developmental delay and small brain development.”
While Oregon doesn’t have the species of mosquitos that transmit the virus, 15 cases of Zika have been identified in Oregon. These infected people have traveled in Zika-affected regions.
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