Question: Is Hawaii included in that new advisory about the Zika virus?
Answer: No, because the mosquito-borne virus is not circulating in Hawaii; all cases reported here were acquired elsewhere, according to the state Department of Health.
The World Health Organization advised last week that people living in regions where the Zika virus is actively circulating should consider delaying pregnancy to prevent severe birth defects. Congenital infection is linked to microcephaly, which causes the afflicted fetus to develop an abnormally small head and brain.
Currently, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are the only U.S. regions with local transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, clusters of cases are expected to appear in Florida and along the Gulf Coast this summer, The New York Times reported.
The updated advice from the WHO, issued Tuesday, applies to millions of people in dozens of countries, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. You can read the full document, “Prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus,” at 808ne.ws/25SZ1Tg.
Zika virus is primarily spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito; transmission also occurs through sexual activity. Once infected, a person is likely to be immune to future infection. The hope in afflicted regions is that so many people will gain immunity this year that Zika will circulate at much lower levels next year and there will less risk of a pregnant woman passing the virus to her baby in utero.
As noted, all of the Zika cases identified in Hawaii have been travel-related, the patients were infected while outside the state and the virus is not currently circulating in Hawaii, according to the Health Department.
However, since the mosquitoes that can transmit Zika (the same species that transmit dengue and chikungunya) are found in Hawaii, a traveler infected elsewhere could spread the disease here. “This is why infected individuals must avoid mosquito exposure during their first week of illness” — to avoid being bitten by a local mosquito that could then become a Zika carrier, explains the Department of Health, which aggressively investigates all reported cases of Zika in Hawaii to prevent this potential spread.
To report a possible case, call DOH’s Disease Investigation Branch at 586-4586.
Q: Regarding the Fuel Your School campaign a few months back: What kind of results did that bring in?
A: Chevron U.S.A. Inc. donated $350,000 to Hawaii public schools via the 2015 Fuel Your School program, helping to fund 391 classroom projects at 144 schools, according to the company.
In October, Chevron donated $1 every time customers bought eight or more gallons of fuel at participating Chevron stations in Hawaii, up to a maximum total donation of $350,000.
The money was divided among eligible classroom projects that public school teachers had registered from Sept. 1 through Nov. 15 with DonorsChoose.org, the philanthropy website that partners with Chevron in the annual Fuel Your School program, which has raised more than $1 million in Hawaii since 2013.
Among the 391 classroom projects funded were 148 that focused on science, technology, engineering and math, an emphasis that the energy company encourages. For example, teacher Ramsey Soto’s class at Pauoa Elementary School received iPad minis, which students use to analyze data in science experiments and for other educational pursuits, according to Chevron.
The average cost of each project funded was less than $900.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the kind person who found my wallet in the parking lot of Longs Drugs on South King Street near the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. I realized that I lost my wallet when I returned home, and was frantic thinking about what could happen in this situation. Mahalo also to Longs for calling to inform me that someone turned in my wallet to the store. I was relieved and remain grateful to these honorable and helpful people. — From a very appreciative senior citizen
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
