Earlier this week, the New England Journal of Medicine published a case study from a multi-disciplinary team of physicians from the University of Miami Health System. The team detailed the country’s first locally transmitted case of the mosquito-borne illness in a local pregnant woman.

The skin rash that appeared on the 23-year-old Miami-Dade woman’s chest, arms, legs, palms, and soles- along with a fever that preceded it and joint pain that followed it- led the woman to seek medical help in July when she was 23 weeks pregnant. She was later diagnosed with Zika virus (which is transmitted by Aedes Aegypti mosquitos).

According to the CDC, as of Jan. 4, there were 4,835 Zika cases in the U.S., and 1,299 were in Florida. The Florida Health Department reports that 1,024 were travel-related cases, 256 were locally acquired cases, 19 were undetermined, and pregnant women accounted for 209 of the total cases.

From the article:

“The medical team followed the woman through her pregnancy, which provided a rare glimpse into the skin manifestations of the virus. The woman eventually delivered a full-term infant, who tested negative for Zika.”

Health officials are concerned about pregnant women contracting Zika even though they have no proof that the virus causes microcephaly and even though Zika hasn’t historically caused microcephaly (a neurological condition where babies to be born with smaller heads and incomplete brain development). Since Zika patients don’t always present with a skin rash, the opportunity to follow the patient and report on symptoms was helpful for physicians.
Remember, the Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda and before now has not caused microcephaly. In fact, most people infected won’t have symptoms or have very mild symptoms. Among those who do, fevers, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, muscle pain, and headaches are possible. Symptoms can last for several days to a week.

 

 Source: Miami Herald