That changed when health officials reported more than a dozen new cases of Zika that appear to have been transmitted by mosquitoes in Florida.
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Scott said that state health officials are of the impression that local transmission of Zika virus remains limited to the Wynwood area.
Public health experts worry about the disease spreading: Florida health officials said on Monday they’re investigating a case of Zika virus infection in Palm Beach County that was likely contracted in the United States.
The Kauai resident has a history of recent travel to the South Pacific, but is past the point of being infectious to mosquitoes. But he stressed the importance of being educated and working as a community to fight the mosquito-borne virus.
Pregnant woman should not travel to Zika-impacted areas. With the Zika virus found in the neighborhood the CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid the area. The mosquito-borne virus, which emerged previous year in South America, is particularly unsafe to pregnant women and can cause severe birth defects.
So far, Texas has had 97 cases of people infected with Zika, and all of the cases have involved individuals who had travel overseas to Zika-infested areas.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party’s candidate, will be in the Wynwood neighborhood in the afternoon, visiting the Borinquen Medical Center, a health clinic that has been treating people in the area for over a month. The 15th case, reported in NY earlier this month, was the first in which a woman transmitted the disease to a man. The Palm Beach case brings the state’s tally to 17. Florida health has already tested 2,515 people statewide for Zika virus, and has the capacity to test 6,145 people for active Zika virus and 1,840 for Zika antibodies.
Peter Andre’s pregnant wife Emily was banned from a family holiday in Florida over fears she could contract the Zika virus. A reported 14 individuals have been infected with the Zika virus by local mosquitoes.
United States health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly.
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With the school year about to begin, Governor Scott said the state is sending mosquito repellent to school districts in affected and neighbouring counties.
