(KMJ) The mosquito that carries the devastating Zika Virus has been found in a small Kern County town.
“We’re finding it in very small numbers in the city of Arvin,” said Gene Abbott, superintendent with Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District.
Known as Aedes Aegypti, Abbott said the insect was captured in a trap placed in residential yards. There are no confirmed human cases associated with this find.
However, one person has tested positive for the Zika virus in Yolo County in Northern California.
The Yolo County Health Department says the patient is at home and doing fine.
The number of confirmed Zika cases in the U.S. now stands at 66.
“These are severe retina lesions that will impede the ability of the children to see well,” said lead author Rubens Belfort Jr., head professor of ophthalmology at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. “Many of these children could be blind.”
Microcephaly is a birth defect defined by an abnormally small head. Depending on the severity of the disorder and the part of the brain affected, babies who live with the defect often have developmental issues, as well as hearing and vision problems. However, experts say that does not explain the findings from Brazil.
“Over 35% of the babies tested showed signs of scarring from an active viral infection in the eye. That’s much different from what would be associated with poor eye development in a microcephaly brain,” said ophthalmologist Lee M. Jampol, of Northwestern University, who wrote a corresponding commentary for JAMA. “It’s much more similar to what we’ve seen in the past with Ebola and West Nile virus.”
“It provides evidence that the effects of Zika are not limited to the brain,” said Yale Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine Dr. Albert Ko, who is also co-author on the study.
Researchers evaluated babies born with heads smaller than 32 centimeters over 21 days in December at Roberto Santos General Hospital in Salvador, one of the hardest hit areas in Brazil. All the babies were screened for other diseases that can cause microcephaly, such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, syphilis, and HIV. All but six of the mothers had shown signs of Zika infection during their pregnancies; however, four out of five people with Zika have no symptoms.
