TUCSON, Ariz.
— As many as one in six people in the U.S. are at risk of contracting Zika virus if they get the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC says that if a person is infected with the Zika virus and has not been tested for the virus since January 20, the virus can cause a range of symptoms including fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, joint swelling and conjunctival bleeding.
That’s an increase of nearly 500 percent from the last two weeks of the virus’s spread in the United States.
Tucson attorney and legal worker Steve De La Rosa says the numbers are staggering and could be attributed to a combination of factors.
The virus has been circulating for two weeks and is spreading rapidly across the U., he said.
Travis Hoey, a Tucson-based attorney who specializes in Zika, told the Arizona Republic that the number of people infected with Zika virus, and therefore those who will develop symptoms, is “almost limitless.”
The CDC estimates that about 7 million Americans are currently infected with infection from Zika, and the virus is spreading faster than it has in decades, he said, adding that the average time from first symptoms to first infection is about three days.
The number of infections is increasing as states like Arizona and California increase their enforcement of existing laws to limit the spread of the disease.
While Texas and Arizona are working to pass laws limiting travel and spreading the virus more quickly, the U, U.K. and France are moving forward with legislation that would make it illegal to spread the virus through the air.
In addition, a new federal law will limit the amount of time a person can travel between countries before the virus becomes contagious.
Hoey said he is seeing a surge of people from other states and even overseas seeking treatment for symptoms.
“If you have symptoms, you’re going to be in the hospital,” he said of the new laws.
“If you don’t, you have to be on a ventilator.”
De La Rosa, who has worked on cases for many years, said he knows of people who were released from the hospital with little or no symptoms.
He said he would urge those who have been infected to get tested for Zika and be tested again.
“I would encourage people to get the Zika test and get tested,” he told ABC News.
“It’s going to make a difference.”
The Centers for Diseases Control and Protection is also urging Americans to stay home until they are tested and have tested negative for Zika.
The Zika virus is a virus that can cause severe birth defects and birth defects that can be lifelong if left untreated.
It is also known as dengue, which means mosquito in Spanish.
It was first reported in Brazil in December.