U.S. researcher contracts Zika during experiment – IOTW Report

U.S. researcher contracts Zika during experiment

Reuters: A United States laboratory researcher was back at work after contracting the Zika virus by pricking herself with a needle during an experiment last month, the University of Pittsburgh said on Friday.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of those infected have no symptoms.

The unidentified researcher accidentally stuck herself on May 23 and showed fever and other possible symptoms on June 1, said Joe Miksch, a spokesperson for the university. She returned to work on June 6 when she no longer had a fever, Miksch said. On Wednesday, the University was informed that a blood sample from the researcher tested positive for a Zika infection.  more

 

5 Comments on U.S. researcher contracts Zika during experiment

  1. When I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia and summering in South Jersey in the early ’60’s there was a great fear of encephalitis, also called “sleeping sickness” that was carried by mosquitoes. The spray trucks would come through the neighborhoods regularly.

    After a couple of years, no more encephalitis.

    That’s when America knew how to handle mosquitoes.

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