Pasadena Public Health Officials Track Escalating Zika Virus Epidemic

Pasadena Public Health Director Michael Johnson said late last week his Department is closely tracking the progress of the spread of the Zika virus in California while working with local medical providers to coordinate testing of people who exhibit Zika-like symptoms and who have traveled in Zika-impacted areas.

So far, there have been no cases of Zika identified in Pasadena.

Earlier, Johnson confirmed that two breeds of mosquito known to spread Zika, the Asian Tiger Mosquito and aedis aegypti, have both been found in the San Gabriel Valley.

“The potential is in place, and all of the elements are there, so it could happen one way or another,” Jason Farned of the San Gabriel Valley Vector Control District said in a recent interview, referring to the possibility of Zika occurring in Pasadena.

In California, the state Department of Public Health attributes the state’s two infants born with Zika-related microcephaly to mothers who had Zika virus infections during pregnancy after spending time in a country where the virus is endemic.

Over 100 cases of Zika have been reported in California, mostly acquired during travel outside of the state, Johnson said.

Statewide and nationwide, the CDPH and the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention have issued health advisories for individuals travelling to Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, where there have been increased reports of mosquito-borne diseases, including chikungunya, dengue and Zika.

Pasadena Public Health advises travelers to these areas to protect themselves from being bitten by a mosquito. The disease can also be spread by infected men to their sexual partners.

According to CDC, the most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rashes, joint pains, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, pain behind the eyes and vomiting. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe symptoms of the disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon, CDC says.

The Pasadena Public Health Department has sent notices to medical providers and has issued a press release regarding travel precautions and advising on local mosquito control. It also posts updated information on its web page, www.cityofpasadena.net/PublicHealth.

If you have any questions, you may call the Pasadena Public Health Department at (626) 744-6166.