New Zealand's Ministry Of Foreign Affairs as well as it's health authorities are warning travelers to protect themselves against major outbreaks of diseases that can be contracted through mosquito bites. Currently, mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and a new disease called Zika are working their way through the Pacific region. Authorities are concerned that these diseases are being brought in from other places in the Pacific since not them could be transmitted from within the country because the Aedes mosquito vector is not normally found anywhere in New Zealand.
According to experts from the Environmental Science and Research department, the first case of Zika was diagnosed earlier this year and more people have since turned out to have the disease. Disease physicians say that the symptoms of Zika are milder compared to dengue and chikungunya and patients may not even need to be hospitalized for this disease. However, one defining feature of Zika is that the side effects of the illness, including lethargy and joint pain, could persist for up to several months after recovery. This mildly viral disease has an incubation period between 3 to 12 days and manifests flu-like symptoms such as a mild fever, joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, rashes, low energy levels, and conjunctivitis. The more acute symptoms will be resolved within a few days, but the drop in energy levels may be experienced for several months. At the moment, there is no specific treatment for Zika other than the management of its symptoms.
The first case of the Zika disease in New Zealand was diagnosed in March of this year, and that number has now swelled to up to 53 cases across the country. Most of the infected people have reportedly been to the Cook Islands and came home with symptoms of the virus. To prevent the disease, Health officials are advising residents to protect themselves against mosquito bites by using insect repellents, covering up during the daytime when the vector insect is most active, and avoiding areas with pools of stagnant water.