Florida health officials have confirmed that there have been nine cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the state, all of which occurred in people who’ve traveled to Latin America and the Caribbean, where the virus has been spreading.
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It was initially believed that the Zika virus was spread through mosquitoes, but the CDC cited a case in Dallas in which a patient contracted the virus through sexual contact, raising alarm bells in the health care community, according to a CNN report on Tuesday.
“We do not have the Zika virus in our mosquitos, we know that”.
The governor of Florida put the emergency into effect in four counties, including Miami-Dade.
“In these areas, women who are pregnant need to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using repellants, permethrin-coated clothing, long sleeves and trousers, and by staying indoors (ideally in places with air conditioning) as much as is practical”, Frieden wrote.
Mr. Scott’s directive gives the Health Department additional power in coordinating a response to Zika and directs the state’s environmental unit to cooperate with the Agricultural Department in coming with a mosquito control plan.
The virus, which causes mild flu symptoms in those who contract it, has been linked to a birth defect involving babies being born with small heads.
Brazil’s Health Ministry reportedly called for deeper investigation into studies on the transmission of Zika, following reports that the virus had been spread through sexual contact in Texas.
Related: CDC confirms first sexually transmitted case of Zika in the U.S.
The virus has flu like symptoms, and can lasts up to a week. Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache.
However, its impact on pregnant women is a major concern.
The virus was first identified in 1947 in Uganda. There’s also the lesser risk of transmitting Zika through sex. Today, CDC added the following destinations to the Zika virus travel alerts: Jamaica and Tonga.
While there’s no treatment or vaccine for Zika available now, work is underway.
Brazil has reported almost 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly since October, but experts are puzzled as to why microcephaly is almost non-existent in other Latin countries where the virus is present.
The virus has also been associated with a rise of microcephaly birth defect cases.
So far, there have been few cases of Zika found in North America.
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The World Health Organization declared a global emergency this week, but health officials are unclear how significant the threat is to Oklahoma.
