Three Lowcountry patients tested for Zika virus

Three Lowcountry patients tested for Zika virus
Published: Jan. 29, 2016 at 12:43 AM EST|Updated: Jan. 29, 2016 at 1:16 AM EST
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CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Three Lowcountry patients have been tested for the Zika virus, according to officials at Roper St. Francis.

Dr. Christopher Robinson said Thursday night that three of his patients were recently tested based on their travel history.

Robinson, who is a maternal and fetal physician at Roper St. Francis, said the testing process can take up to two weeks based on the volume of samples the CDC is working with.

According to Robinson, his patients' samples were transported to DHEC and brought to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing since the CDC can do the testing.

To Robinson's knowledge, twenty-five patients in South Carolina have been tested for the virus based on travel history.

"Four out of five people will have no symptoms of the virus," stated Robinson."The common thread of people who have been tested have been people who have traveled to areas where the Zika virus is present."

According to the Associated Press, the virus has been detected mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The virus is spread through mosquito bites with the most common symptoms being fever, rash, joint paint and conjunctivitis.

"In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil," a CDC statement read."The outbreak in Brazil led to reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes."

In response, CDC has issued a travel alert for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.

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