The U.S. government is distributing Zika virus tests for pregnant women to various health departments across the country. However, there could temporarily be a shortage of supply, as travelers constantly determine if they've contracted an infection that could pose high risks on a developing baby.
Although health officials don't anticipate "widespread transmission of the mosquito-borne virus in the continental United States," Puerto Rico was noted to be most vulnerable of them all.
In fact, officials have even requested the Congress for emergency funding just to battle the ongoing spread of the virus in Latin America.
"We may see rapid spread through the island and we need to respond urgently," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden told a Senate appropriations subcommittee.
University of Miami scientists develop a test and possible #ZikaVirus vaccine https://t.co/HdzIuT6iwU pic.twitter.com/QgpaHEHMHC
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) February 17, 2016
Frieden claims that the agency has already sent out 62,000 Zika test for pregnant women. Although they're working on getting more out there, the director says "there may be a period of weeks or a couple of months where there aren't enough test for the women who want to have them done."
The Zika virus has long been perceived to cause babies to have an unusually small heads. The rare yet possibly adverse birth defect, called microcephaly, could indicate "underlying brain damage."
Larvicide Manufactured By Sumitomo, Not Zika Virus, True Cause Of Brazil's Microcephaly Outbreak: Doctors : LIFE : https://t.co/8gy9fhqfND — Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) February 16, 2016
"With each passing day the evidence that Zika is casually related gets stronger," said Frieden. "Even in this week, the data that's come out makes it look very much like this is a virus that's what we call neurotropic - it targets the nerve cells."
As it turns out, diagnosing the virus early on has proven to be a problem. Majority of people either have no symptoms or a mild one, as well as inaccurate test results. Luckily, the CDC has prevention plans underway. Yahoo! Parenting reports:
"The CDC is urging pregnant women or those trying to become pregnant not to travel to Zika-affected areas. But if they already did, the CDC is telling doctors to test the women for Zika between two weeks and 12 weeks after they return. Those thought to have been infected then could undergo ultrasound scans to monitor fetal development."
