MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Local doctors believe there will be an outbreak of the Zika virus here in the Mid-South and even in the city of Memphis.
National, state and local officials are pretty light on the details of a plan to handle the Zika virus.
They met at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Monday and said prevention is the best way to keep your family safe.
The mosquito season won’t pick up here in the Mid-South until April, and that’s when health officials expect several cases.
There are already cases in Arkansas and East Tennessee and more than 20 cases in Florida.
Dr. Jon McCullers is Le Bonheur’s pediatrician-in-chief and said it’s not that big a deal for someone to catch Zika.
“If you have it, you’re going to feel bad for four or five days, unless you’re a pregnant woman where there is risk to the fetus, then there is no other bad symptoms,” McCullers said.
But he said it is very dangerous for pregnant women.
Right now South America and the Caribbean are the hardest-hit areas, and babies are seeing extreme birth defects.
He said as more cases pop up, women who are pregnant should stay away from infected areas and be very careful about prevention.
Congressman Steve Cohen organized this discussion with medical experts about the disease but said people shouldn’t be worried because there’s a system in place, not to mention Memphis has world-class hospitals.
“This is import to make sure people don’t get caught up in hysteria. There was almost a hysteria last year over the Ebola virus,” Cohen said.
It’s that world class system that brought 3-year-old Manuelito Hernandez to Memphis.
He’s at Le Bonheur from Cuba waiting for a heart surgery that could save his life.
It’s one of the first times a patient from Cuba has come to the U.S. for treatment in decades.
His mother said this means everything to her as a mother. She said she’s spent three years worrying about her son, and now the answers are here.
Manuelito was at Monday’s meeting to illustrate the amazing abilities of Memphis doctors and put minds at ease as we inch closer to mosquito season.
Until mosquito season kicks off in April, health officials here are urging people to constantly empty out standing water around your house.
They’re also meeting with Vector control to focus on spraying around the city, and they’re doing education programs with groups all around the city, so they know what’s going on.