The Illinois residents who have confirmed cases of Zika virus had traveled to areas affected by the virus, the IDPH reports.
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Yesterday, aerial spraying of pesticide was started in Miami as way to cut down the mosquito population further.
The health department emphasized that it still believes the only place with ongoing Zika infection is a square-mile area in northern Miami.
This news comes as health officials in California revealed that two babies were recently born with Zika-related birth defects. State officials would not identify that country but said Zika is actively transmitted there.
More information on how to avoid Zika infection can found online. Zika infection during pregnancy may cause birth defects and can cause microcephaly, or small head size, in addition to other birth defects.
National Institute of Health began testing a Zika virus vaccine in humans on Wednesday.
As of August 4, these are the statistics on the Zika virus. Wynwood is the only area where individuals are contracting mosquito-borne transmission of the virus, officials said. It is meant to trigger an immune response that would protect against the mosquito-borne virus, according to a statement from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
“Zika is unprecedented”, says Dr. Frieden.
So far, the almost 1,700 Zika infections reported in the United States mainly have been linked to travel to countries with Zika outbreaks in Latin America or the Caribbean.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito an aggressive daytime biter thought to be the primary spreader of Zika, can breed in very small amounts of water, as tiny as a bottle cap.
The mothers of the two babies were among 21 pregnant women in the state who contracted the virus while overseas in a country where the virus is spreading.
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The CDC is urging pregnant women and their partners to stay away from Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood – the first time the CDC has ever warned against travel to an American neighborhood for fear of an infectious disease.
