DELAWARE ANNOUNCES NEW ZIKA INFORMATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND PARTNERS

DOVER, DE (April 8, 2016) - The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today new Zika public education materials targeting pregnant women and their male partners. Updated information and links to educational materials can be found at: dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html.Zika, a generally mild illness, has been linked to serious birth defects in Brazil and other countries and is most often spread by mosquitoes. Transmission can occur from a mother to her fetus. Sexual transmission from male to female has also been confirmed. Delaware has three Zika cases caused by mosquito bites while traveling abroad, and pregnancy is not an issue.

"For the vast majority of people who may be exposed to Zika, it will not cause any serious health problems," said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. "However, pregnant women and their male partners with a travel history to the countries with Zika should be concerned and take precautions because of the potentially very serious birth defects linked to the disease"

Zika outbreaks have been reported in Central and South America and the Caribbean. For an up-to-date list of CDC travel warnings, visit wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-information. Anyone who lives or travels in the impacted areas can be infected.

Precautions for pregnant women or women who may get pregnant:

• If you are pregnant, postpone travel to the countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If you traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission up to eight weeks before your pregnancy was confirmed, discuss your travel history with your doctor.
• If your male sexual partner has traveled to or lives in an area with active Zika virus transmission, condoms for vaginal, anal, and oral sex should be used correctly and consistently for the duration of the pregnancy. Discuss your and your male partner's potential exposures and history of Zika-like illness with your doctor.
• For women, if you are trying to become pregnant and have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms of Zika, wait at least eight weeks after symptoms first appeared or possible exposure before trying to conceive. Men who have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms are advised to wait at least six months after symptoms first appeared before having unprotected sex.

Precautions for women or men who may have been exposed and are sexually active:

• Men and women who do not have symptoms of Zika, but had possible exposure through recent travel or sexual contact should wait at least eight weeks after possible exposure before trying to conceive in order to minimize risk.
• If your male partner lives in an area with active Zika transmission but has not developed symptoms, use condoms correctly and consistently for vaginal, anal, and oral sex while there is active Zika virus transmission in the area.
• Couples not intending to get pregnant should use contraception every time they are sexually active.

"Condoms serve two important functions - preventing conception and stopping the spread of disease," said DPH Medical Director Dr. Awe Maduka-Ezeh. "Even after a woman is pregnant, if her male partner was exposed to Zika, condoms should be used correctly every time during the entire pregnancy to stop potential disease transmission."

Zika is a generally mild illness caused by a virus primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. The U.S. has 312 reported travel-associated cases, including the three confirmed cases in Delaware.

About one in five people infected with the virus develop the disease, and most people who are infected do not develop symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. In rare cases, it also may be transmitted sexually in semen.

To report a potential illness or receive further guidance on testing, call the DPH Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 302-744-4990. For copies of flyers and more educational tools, see the below links.

To learn more about DNREC Mosquito Control Section efforts to combat biting mosquitoes this season, visit: www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/mosquito/Pages/default.aspx.

For further information for pregnant women and their male partners:

• Flyer for pregnant women in English: www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikaflyerforpregnantwomen.pdf
• Flyer for pregnant women in Spanish: www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikaflyerforpregnantwomensp.pdf
• Flyer for pregnant women in Haitian Creole: www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikaflyerforpregnantwomenhc.pdf

Zika FAQs and mosquito control tips:

• Facts and information on Zika and mosquito control: www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaq.pdf in English.
• In Spanish: dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqsp.pdf
• Haitian Creole: dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqhc.pdf

General Zika information:

• CDC information on Zika: www.cdc.gov/zika/
• DPH Zika page: dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html
• CDC Zika webpage information in Spanish: www.cdc.gov/spanish/mediosdecomunicacion/comunicados/d_recomendaciones_viajeros_virus_del_zika_011516.html

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.