FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Friday, January 29, 2016
CONTACT:  Lon Kightlinger, (605) 773-3737  

                      South Dakotans Traveling To Tropics Should Be Aware Of Zika Virus

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakotans traveling to the American tropics and sub-tropics should use mosquito repellent to prevent mosquito bites and protect themselves from the Zika virus, the Department of Health said today.

Zika is a tropical mosquito-borne infection. The virus is not known to be carried by the mosquitoes found in South Dakota.  Although the virus has not been transmitted in the United States, the mosquitoes that could potentially transmit it are found in a few of the nation’s southern-most states.  

Only one in five individuals who are infected becomes ill and for most healthy adults the infection is mild. Symptoms typically occur two to seven days after being bitten and include fever, muscle or eye pain and a rash. However, pregnant women who are infected run the risk of delivering babies born with the birth defect microcephaly. Babies with the defect have heads smaller than expected and often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly.

“If you’re traveling to the tropics or sub-tropics be aware of Zika virus and how to protect yourself from mosquito bites. And if you’re pregnant, CDC recommends you avoid travel to any Zika-affected area,” said Dr. Lon Kightlinger, state epidemiologist for the department. “If you must travel CDC also recommends you talk with your doctor first and make sure to use mosquito repellent throughout your trip.”

Kightlinger said individuals who do travel to a Zika-affected area and become ill within 10 days should see their doctor.

 
Zika-affected areas in the Western Hemisphere include Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Suriname, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

See CDC’s Zika site at http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ for more information on the virus and the latest travel advisories.

Strengthening South Dakota’s response to current and emerging public health threats is one objective of the Department of Health’s 2015-2020 strategic plan, http://doh.sd.gov/strategicplan.

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