WASHINGTON 鈥� U.S. health officials are saying that the Zika virus is more dangerous than previously thought. And while federal money left over from the fight against Ebola is being transferred to combat Zika, they say it鈥檚 time for a full-blown effort to combat the spread of the disease.
鈥淭he more we learn about Zika, the more concerned we get,鈥澛燚r. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the聽National Institutes of Health, told 海角社区app on Tuesday.
It鈥檚 been known that babies of pregnant women who contract the Zika virus can have abnormally small heads, signaling brain damage. But Fauci said that case reports and testing on animal samples has provided new details on 鈥渉ow strongly destructive this virus is to neurological tissue.鈥�
On Monday, Fauci and Dr. Anne Schuchat, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a White House briefing that researchers have linked Zika to stillbirths, miscarriages and other complications 鈥� and not just in the first trimester, as previously thought, but throughout pregnancy.
They added that there鈥檚 evidence that some conditions, such as the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome, may be linked to Zika. And Brazilian researchers say that two Zika patients were suffering from a brain inflammation that looks similar to multiple sclerosis.
Congress hasn鈥檛 moved on the president鈥檚 request for $1.9 billion to fight Zika. In the meantime, the CDC is using $589 million left over from the efforts to combat Ebola. Fauci called Congress鈥檚 failure to approve the new spending 鈥渦nfortunate, because we really need that supplement. So I hope it comes through.鈥�
Fauci told 海角社区app that the National Institutes of Health is conducting tests, but so far there is no treatment.
鈥淲hat we do when someone gets sick is, we support them,鈥� Fauci said, explaining that that means聽providing symptom relief.
The problem, though, is that 鈥渢he infection, in someone who is not pregnant, generally is a mild infection,鈥� even though it can cause serious neurological problems.
The CDC says that women who are pregnant, may be pregnant or want to become pregnant shouldn鈥檛 travel to Zika-affected areas. Men who have been to Zika-affected areas should either use condoms or abstain from sex with women who fit the profile.
Officials add that while they don鈥檛 foresee a widespread outbreak of Zika in the U.S., about 300 cases have been reported among American travelers. The CDC says that people coming back from Zika-affected areas need to take extra precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes at home, so as not to infect local mosquitoes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
