Three pregnant women have tested positive for the Zika virus in Florida, where so far 32 cases have been registered, although none of those people contracted the disease in the state, the Florida Department of Health said Wednesday.
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Three pregnant women in Florida have tested positive for the Zika virus after returning from Zika-affected countries, the state health department announced on Wednesday.
Among the 14 new cases, two Zika diagnoses are in women who had sexual contact with men who had recently traveled to infected areas.
While sexual transmission of the virus is possible, health authorities note that the primary means of infection by the Zika virus is still from mosquito bites, and they urge people to prevent mosquito bites using mosquito repellent, window screens, and long-sleeved shirts.
According to Mexico’s health ministry, the mother became infected with the mosquito-borne disease while pregnant with her baby boy – but it doesn’t appear that the virus led to any potentially debilitating birth defects.
The Zika virus is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and is spreading through South and Central America, and the Caribbean as well. The CDC on Tuesday expanded its Zika travel advisory to two more places – the Marshall Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The state has test kits that determine if someone has a history of the Zika virus (antibody test) or if someone is now infected with the virus (active Zika virus test).
Mariam Araujo, 25, plays with Lucas, her 4-months old second child and born with microcephaly as they wait for a physiotherapy session in Pedro I hospital in Campina Grande, Brazil, February 17, 2016.
Although Zika is not now being spread by mosquitoes in the continental US, the number of Zika cases among travelers returning to the U.S.is expected to increase.
There is no evidence yet that women can transmit Zika virus to their sex partners, but more research is needed to understand this issue, the health body said.
Pregnant women are most at risk for complications from the Zika virus.
The CDC said Zika fever is generally mild with a rash, fever and joint pain.
One of the most common conditions related to the disease is microcephaly, which causes infants to experience a stunting of their brain development and leaving them with abnormally small heads.
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Most experts had believed that sexual transmission of Zika was rare, but the new alert suggests sexual transmission of Zika may be more of a factor than previously thought.
