This Flowchart Explains Whether Or Not You Should Get A Zika Test

If you’re headed to the Olympic Games in Rio next month, rest assured that it’s highly unlikely you’ll return home afterward with the Zika virus. A recent analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared the expected 350,000 to 500,000 Olympic spectators and participants to the number of total estimated travelers to Zika-affected countries during 2015. The results revealed that Olympic travel will make up just one-quarter of one percent of last year’s travel volume. This means the games don’t pose a serious risk of Zika transmission beyond normal travel patterns. However, this doesn’t mean there is zero risk. Four countries in particular (Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen) face a unique threat because the Olympic Games will significantly increase travel to and from their countries and a Zika-affected area. The truth is that anyone can be bitten by an infected mosquito if they don’t take proper precautions, like wearing repellent or long-sleeved clothing throughout their stay. For people traveling to Brazil or any other Zika-affected country this year, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of an infection, and how to get tested. Because diagnostic testing is a complex, limited resource that can only be performed by local and state laboratories, not everyone who wants a test can obtain one.  Here’s a simple flowchart, based on recommendations from the CDC and interviews with Zika vir...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news