The Virginia Department of Health and Virginia hospitals say they are ready to respond to the Zika virus, using procedures they honed during another health threat, the deadly Ebola outbreak.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa J. Levine, however, says the public’s cooperation is key to preventing the spread of the mosquito-borne virus in Virginia.
“We are concerned about the Zika virus because people do not know everything they need to know,” Levine said at a Richmond news conference on Wednesday.
The health commissioner said 38 Zika cases have been reported in Virginia while more than 1,100 patients with the virus have been seen throughout the U.S. There is no vaccine for Zika, which is relatively new to the Western Hemisphere.
