© 2024 WMRA and WEMC
WMRA : More News, Less Noise WEMC: The Valley's Home for Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Virginia's First Zika Case -- An Update

The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed three cases of Zika virus disease in the state. Just over a month ago McGaheysville’s Heather Baker learned she was Virginia’s first. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz called Heather last week, for an update.

Though roughly 80 percent of Zika-infected people never even know that they have the virus, and even though for the other 20 percent symptoms generally last only several days to a week, for Heather Baker, symptoms are persisting.

HEATHER BAKER: I feel like I'm about 60% of my energy level and what I felt like prior to getting the virus. So I just take it one day at a time, and spend a lot of time resting in between different things that I need to do.

Baker believes she was infected by a mosquito bite while on a missions trip to Guatemala in November. There is no known cure for Zika, so for now, Baker is under observation by a local doctor and boosting her immune system with essential oils, and vitamin D and herbal supplements.  

BAKER: If symptoms continue to persist then we will pursue the route of some other testing but we just didn't want to go have a bunch of tests run unnecessarily.

A friend has started a gofundme campaign  to help with Baker’s medical expenses.

Baker encourages people who think they may have Zika to be assertive and persistent when seeking testing.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, “all pregnant women who have traveled to a place with a Zika outbreak” should be tested, especially if they develop “a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes during their trip or within two weeks after traveling to an area with Zika.”

Dr. Laurie Forlano, State Epidemiologist and director of the Virginia Department of Health Office of Epidemiology, said that no commercial Zika test is available yet for private labs to use, so testing has to be approved by public health officials.

FORLANO: While we do have testing criteria now, we're happy to talk to any provider that has questions about a patient of concern. If they're turned down, they're turned down because they don't meet our testing criteria and there wasn't a compelling reason to test that individual at that time.

According to the CDC, Zika can be transmitted through mosquito bites during the first week of infection, and also through sexual contact, blood transfusion, and, rarely, from pregnant mother to child. Zika-infected people are likely protected against being infected again.

Heather Baker:

BAKER: It’s been a ride, but it’s going to be alright.

Christopher Clymer Kurtz was a freelance journalist for WMRA from 2015 - 2019.