Zika virus big deal globally, not so much for Centre County

The World Health Organization may be on high alert about the Zika virus threat in South America and the Caribbean, but in Pennsylvania, officials are watching to see how the situation progresses.

The virus is becoming a hot topic as it spreads through those warm climates, and prompts warnings like those from the U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that are cautioning people about the potential dangers. The most talked about risk is the threat of birth defects, specifically microcephaly, for pregnant women who contract the disease.

Penn State Hershey virologist Wallace Greene is learning more about Zika because of the high-profile outbreak, but he wants to balance the warnings with the realities for those in the Keystone State.

“As far as you or I or anyone who is not pregnant, the illness this causes is very mild. And even then, it only happens in 1 in 5 people who are infected,” Greene said. “If it weren’t for the effect on pregnant women, we wouldn’t even be talking about it.”

According to the CDC, it starts off like lots of illnesses, with sore joints and a fever, maybe a rash or a headache. It might take a few days or a week after exposure to show up, and it might last several days to a week. It doesn’t usually require hospitalization and unlike last year’s Ebola scare, it isn’t something with a high mortality rate.

What it does have is a pesky form of transmission. The mosquito. Specifically, the Aedes aegypti or yellow fever mosquito. Obviously, the very name points to the insect having a hand in spreading diseases. There’s yellow fever, obviously, but it’s also a known culprit with dengue or chikungunya.

Pennsylvania is no stranger to mosquito-borne illnesses. For the past 15 years, the state has been fighting West Nile virus.

But that doesn’t make Zika an immediate threat.

“That mosquito is not found in Pennsylvania,” said Albert Lavan, head of the Centre County WNV program.

So the problem is not that local mosquitoes could be carriers. The issue is they might not be carriers yet.

“The concern is that a traveler with the virus gets bit with that virus and is able to pass it on,” Lavan said. “Another concern is that another mosquito in the genus could become a vector. That’s not known.”

To translate, that means that if people go to Brazil, the biggest hotspot in the Zika outbreak, and come home with the virus, not knowing that they even have it because they could be asymptomatic, a Pennsylvania mosquito could bite them, take on the virus and pass it to someone else. It isn’t that anyone knows that could happen. It’s more that they don’t know that it can’t.

In Centre County, waging war on the local mosquito population has helped with the West Nile problem. Since 2001, there have been just two identified human cases of WNV in Centre County, and those were nine years apart.

Lavan says the key word there is “identified.”

“West Nile is vastly under diagnosed because 80 percent of people don’t even know they are infected and don’t go to the doctor. The remaining may think they have a summer cold or the flu or the doctor may or may not do the testing. Undoubtedly, there are more,” he said.

But still, the numbers are relatively low.

“West Nile is under control here. That’s why I don’t see (Zika) being a big deal here,” Greene said.

Both are more concerned about more mundane threats.

Lavan says he starts taking steps to eliminate mosquito breeding areas as early as possible every year, and no matter how early he starts, he always finds the mosquitoes have gotten there ahead of him.

“It’s always a good idea to get rid of mosquito breeding areas, even if it’s not about carrying a virus, just from the nuisance factor. They can just make outdoor living miserable. Always try and eliminate standing water,” he said.

With spring break trips just weeks away, Greene is more concerned about the other tropical mosquito-borne viruses and suggests precautions in warm weather areas for those reasons. But when it comes down to it, it’s a homegrown bug that he sees as a bigger problem.

“Get a flu shot,” he said. “That season’s not over.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Zika virus big deal globally, not so much for Centre County."