MUSC leaders urge caution in face of Zika reports

Zika may be linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes babies to have small heads and brain damage, and to paralysis in adults. MUSC maternal-fetal medicine specialist Scott Sullivan, M.D., said right now, there are more questions than answers about the virus. “Be informed, don’t panic,” he urged. “This is going to be an unfolding story. It really right now is not a huge public threat here. People who are pregnant just need to take travel precautions.”

He said MUSC has seen patients who are worried about the virus, but none has met the standard for needing to be tested. They either didn’t travel to the affected areas or aren’t pregnant. Pregnant women are the main concern because of the potential threat to babies; in most other people, the virus causes a mild illness that may include a fever, a rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. The CDC offers more details about the virus on its Zika page and lists affected countries, mostly in the Caribbean and Latin America, on its travelers’ health page. It has also issued interim guidelines for pregnant women who have traveled to affected areas.

MUSC infectious disease specialist Cassandra Salgado, M.D., said the speed with which the virus is spreading is an important health concern for everyone. “It is always a good idea to keep informed of what is occurring on a local level as well as regionally, nationally and globally. 

“It is particularly important to remain up to date if you plan to travel in the future or are a frequent traveler. The situation has the ability to change rapidly and public health leaders at the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are frequently updating their information sites and materials.”

Zika first captured widespread attention in the U.S. late last month, when news reports described thousands of cases of microcephaly in Brazil that officials there linked to the virus.

So far, as Sullivan noted, the evidence linking the condition with the virus is not conclusive. But health authorities are clearly concerned. Yesterday, the World Health Organization said the virus was “spreading explosively” in the Americas. It’s planning a meeting on Monday to decide whether to declare a public health emergency.

Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a type that does live in the U.S., but there are no reports of anyone in the U.S. being infected by a mosquito bite they got in this country. Salgado said while public health officials are discussing widespread strategies for mosquito control, everyone can take steps to reduce the number of mosquitoes. “This includes eliminating any areas of standing water such as uncovered rain barrels, buckets, tires, child swimming pools, and birdbaths. A more comprehensive list of measures can be found on the CDC website.”

Though the primary vector is mosquitoes, research is underway to see if the virus may be transmitted via blood and possibly sexual relations.

Jerry Squires, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of transfusion medicine at MUSC, said fortunately, the cooler weather helps slow the mosquito-borne virus from spreading rapidly in the U.S. Of the 30 Zika cases he’s heard about, all were contracted by people who have traveled to foreign countries where the virus is known to be.

 “Fortunately, there has only been one possible case of a blood transmission, and that was in Brazil,” he said. 

MUSC doesn’t collect blood, but the Food and Drug Administration and MUSC’s blood supplier, the American Red Cross, are evaluating whether the virus can be transmitted through blood and how to test donated blood that might be used for transfusions. Since not everyone who has the virus might show symptoms, if it is blood borne, they would need an effective test, Squires said. “They’re on top of it, and they’re looking into it. We don’t have to be concerned about it at the moment.”

There is no vaccine against or treatment for the Zika virus, although efforts are underway to change that. For now, Salgado had this advice for people in South Carolina. “You should be aware of how the virus is spreading, particularly if there is local domestic transmission, and be familiar with the measures for mosquito control and personal protection from mosquito bites.”