NUMC HEALTH OFFICIALS TO ANNOUNCE ZIKA VIRUS TESTING AFTER BUSY TRAVEL WEEK
Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,
President/CEO Chairman Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2016
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
East Meadow, NY – Nassau University Medical Center President & CEO Dr. Victor Politi will join health officials and infectious disease experts in a press conference to announce testing for the Zika virus following one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, Friday, February 19, 2016 at 11:00 am at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, NY. Long Island has one of the largest Central American populations in the United States. Many Latinos from Long Island travel home to visit their families during the winter holiday. Thus far, there have been five people in New York City who have contracted the Zika virus and one case has been diagnosed in Suffolk County. Testing stations will also be made available at the hospital for Long Island residents who suspect they may be carrying the virus.
The Zika virus has been linked to birth defects and miscarriages in Latin America and the Caribbean. New York City health officials made Zika blood tests available to pregnant women who have traveled to any of the 24 countries where the mosquito-borne disease is flourishing. Symptoms of the disease include fever, rashes, joint pain and reddened eyes. In the United States, about 52 people have been infected by the virus by visiting regions where the infection is endemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no vaccine for the virus and the CDC recommends that pregnant women not travel to countries where the infection is flourishing.
DATE: Friday, February 19, 2016
TIME: 11:00 am NUMC 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY