U of A Health Officials Monitoring Zika Virus, Advising Students on Prevention

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas medical experts at the Pat Walker Health Center are monitoring developments concerning an international outbreak of the Zika virus – and had been for several months before the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control issued emergency warnings about the disease.

“The University of Arkansas takes public health emergencies very seriously,” said Mary Alice Serafini, executive director of the Health Center. “We screen all patients for recent travel to and from the United States to address possible exposure to any diseases which are a threat to public health.  With the emergence of the Zika virus as a potential risk to some of our community, we join with the CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health in increasing awareness of the Zika virus.”

ZIKA FACTS

• The Zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes
• The same mosquitoes also spread dengue fever, yellow fever and Chikungunya
• The virus is now in more than 25 countries in the Americas
• Only U.S. cases have been people who traveled in infected areas

Zika is not spread directly from person to person by coughing or sneezing, but there’s evidence that Zika can be sexually transmitted through semen or through a transfusion with infected blood.

Symptoms

• Symptoms are mild and flu-like
• Symptoms develop two-seven days after infection
• Symptoms can last up to one week
• 80 percent of people infected do not develop any symptoms
• Symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis

Zika has also been linked to the birth defect microencephaly, in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development. Concerns over clusters of these defects caused the World Health Organization to issue its emergency declaration last month.

There is no vaccine for the Zika virus, no specific treatment for the disease, and screenings for the infection are only available through the Centers for Disease Control and state health departments.

“At this time we have seen no Zika infections on campus,” said Dr. Huda Sharaf, the Health Center’s medical director. “But anyone who plans to travel for spring break or study abroad programs should take precautions. To start, they should visit with the Health Center’s Allergy, Immunization and Travel Clinic to get all the information they need before they leave. And of course, as mosquito season arrives in Arkansas it is always a good idea to protect yourself from mosquito bites.”  

MOSQUITO PROTECTION

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Stay in places with air conditioning and/or that use window and door screens.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents.
• Find more information at the CDC’s Mosquito Bite Prevention Resource

The Pat Walker Health Center will continue to monitor all developments concerning the Zika virus, and notify the campus community of any new information.

Additional information is also available at the CDC website.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.