abnormally small heads causing severe developmental issues and
sometimes death; and
WHEREAS, The virus is transmitted and spread when an Aedes
aegypti mosquito with an active infection bites a person who
then becomes a carrier during the time they have symptoms; and
WHEREAS, A rare case of the Zika virus being sexually
transmitted has been reported in the United States; and
WHEREAS, In most people, symptoms of the virus are mild and
include fever, headache, rash and possible pink eye; and
WHEREAS, In fact, 80% of those infected never know they have
the disease, which is especially concerning for pregnant women,
as this virus has now been shown to pass through amniotic fluid
to the fetus; and
WHEREAS, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that
three million to four million people across the Americas will be
infected with the virus in the next year; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
the virus has now spread to at least 24 countries, including
Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, the Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe,
Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Venezuela; and
WHEREAS, According to the CDC, 31 people have been diagnosed
with the Zika virus in the United States; and
WHEREAS, All reported cases have occurred in travelers
returning from affected countries during the current outbreak
that began in 2015, with no cases of the virus being transmitted
within the United States; and
WHEREAS, According to pennlive.com, the primary mosquito that
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