The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus that has swept through Latin America, has also been blamed for a spike in cases of the coronavirus.
A new study by researchers at Duke University found that doctors and dentists were reporting a higher rate of Zika-related illnesses in their emergency room visits.
The Duke study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that more than 1,000 doctors and other health professionals surveyed reported experiencing a Zika-associated illness in the past year.
A total of 5,917 people were included in the study, of whom 1,936 reported experiencing an Zika-like illness.
Dr. Youssef Abu-Zahir, a professor of emergency medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at Duke and lead author of the study told The Huffington Post that the study is the first to show an increase in doctors reporting Zika-type illnesses in the U.S. since it began tracking data.
“The most common cause of these Zika-linked illnesses is the Zika hemorrhagic fever (YHF) that is a highly contagious virus,” Abu-Salaam said.
“It is estimated that nearly half of all health care workers in the United States will be infected with YHF.
It is also known as the mosquito-associated disease, meaning it can be transmitted by direct or indirect contact with a person infected with Zika.
The number of patients in emergency rooms with YFH in the last year is much higher than that seen in other regions of the world.”
In a press release, the American Dental Association and the American College of Emergency Physicians called on doctors and dental professionals to join the effort to combat the spread of the virus.
“If you are thinking about having a child, please ask yourself if the Zika infection could have been prevented,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, president and CEO of the AEDPA.
“We are here to help.”
Dr. Abed El-Fattah, director of the Emergency Department at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said he and his colleagues were aware of the need for the study and would like to see it continue.
“I’m really excited about this study,” El-Fehah told The Washington Post.
“The data will help us understand the impact of Zika and other threats to the public health.”
El-Fottah said he is concerned that the findings could influence how the U,S.
responds to other threats.
“For me personally, the most important thing is to make sure that the public is aware of what is going on,” he said.
“We are at a critical time in terms of public health, and if this study has any impact on public health in the future, I think that will be good for all of us.”