In the wake of a national summit hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials have asked Congress for $1.9 billion to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speak about the Zika virus during a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 11, 2016.(Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images)

“Most of what we’ve learned is not reassuring,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought.”

• Visit this page on the Kane County Health Department website for more information about the virus.

According to this page of the CDC website, there were 10 confirmed cases of Zika virus in Illinois as of April 6, 2016.

Locally, Northwestern Medicine has posted this page of Zika information.

On April 1, more than 300 local, state, and federal government officials — health experts and non-government partners — gathered at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prepare for the likelihood of mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus in some parts of the continental United States. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa already are experiencing active Zika transmission.

Hosted by CDC, the one-day Zika Action Plan Summit brought together officials from local, state and federal jurisdictions, as well as non-government organizations, to help ensure a coordinated response to the mosquito-borne illness linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly. The summit’s aim was to identify gaps in readiness and provide technical support to states in the development of Zika action plans that will allow their jurisdictions to effectively prepare for and respond to active Zika transmission they may experience.

“The mosquitoes that carry Zika virus are already active in U.S. territories, hundreds of travelers with Zika have already returned to the continental U.S., and we could well see clusters of Zika virus in the continental U.S. in the coming months. Urgent action is needed, especially to minimize the risk of exposure during pregnancy,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Everyone has a role to play. With federal support, state and local leaders and their community partners will develop a comprehensive action plan to fight Zika in their communities.”

Summit attendees heard the latest scientific knowledge about Zika, including implications for pregnant women and strategies for mosquito control. The meeting also included opportunities to learn about best communications practices; identify possible gaps in preparedness and response at the federal, state, and local levels; and help begin to address those gaps, including through the refinement of draft Zika action plans.

Representatives from state and local jurisdictions will meet with experts to get technical assistance and guidance on their Zika action plans.

CDC released a Vital Signs report with information that reinforces previous CDC guidance and suggested actions that pregnant women and their partners can take to prevent Zika virus infection during pregnancy. The Vital Signs report describes what the U.S. government is doing, what state and local public health agencies and healthcare providers can do, and what can be done to prevent mosquito bites that potentially spread Zika. The report also includes an updated map of the U.S. with the latest available information on where the mosquitoes that can transmit the virus have been found.

Zika virus disease is caused by Zika virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, though Aedes aegypti are more likely to spread Zika. Sexual transmission also has been documented. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). In previous outbreaks, the illness has typically been mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. However, mounting evidence links Zika virus infection in pregnant women with a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly. Zika also has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an uncommon sickness of the nervous system in which a person’s immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.

SOURCE: CDC news release

At A Glance – Zika in the U.S. (as of April 6, 2016)