Dr. Susan Bleasdale Educates Chicagoans About Zika Virus
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Dr. Susan Bleasdale, medical director of infection control at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, spoke with ABC 7 Chicago about the rise of the Zika virus and how Chicago residents can take precautions against contracting the virus. There have been three reported cases of the Zika virus in Illinois, and with spring travel on the horizon, physicians are educating those who plan to visit infected countries in the Caribbean and South America about how the virus is transmitted and how to take precaution against contracting it. Pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant must be the most cautious. The Zika virus causes microcephaly, or an abnormally small head, in infants.
“As people return and develop symptoms, it has to be awareness of the physicians to test for this,” Dr. Bleasdale told ABC 7. Testing will allow public health departments to track the virus.
View the full ABC 7 Chicago segment below:
