The Department of Health hopes to send blood samples of patients suspected of having the Zika virus on tonight’s flight to Honolulu.
This would be the first time since patients were diagnosed with symptoms of Zika at the LBJ Hospital more than a month ago, that blood samples will be on the plane to Honolulu for testing.
DOH Epidemiologist Scott Anesi said more than 20 blood samples of suspected Zika cases are being sent on tonight’s Hawaiian Air.
Twenty percent of Zika cases may have the virus but don’t show any signs of the illness such as fever, sore joints, redness of the eyes and a rash.
Anesi says DOH is trying to reach out to pregnant mothers to come in for testing to make sure they don’t have the virus.
Zika has been linked in Latin America to a condition where babies of mothers who had the virus are born with small heads, but the
Centers for Disease Control has not had any confirmation of such a link with cases in the US mainland and territories.
