The lack of awareness contrasts with Washington, where the Obama administration is preparing for the worst, and has requested billions of dollars to try to push development of a vaccine and to target the mosquito blamed for spreading the virus.
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Administration officials said additional money must be approved to manufacture vaccines, purchase diagnostic tests and undertake mosquito control throughout the rainy season in Central America and the Caribbean, among other activities. While the virus hasn’t spread through mosquitoes locally yet, Shelby County has reported its first travel-related Zika case. All mothers showed consistent Zika virus symptoms such as fever and rash.
The virus is spread mainly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which also live in parts of the U.S. It was thought to be mainly in the South but the CDC revised its map this week, showing the mosquito has been found in parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Researchers are still trying to determine whether Zika causes both the birth defect – known as microcephaly – and Guillain-Barre.
“Condoms serve two important functions – preventing conception and stopping the spread of disease”, said Dr. Awe Maduka-Ezeh, medical director for the state division of public health.
The Shelby County Health Department said Thursday that the person with the virus traveled to one of the countries where Zika is prevalent.
All 82 cases of Zika reported in Florida so far came from travel outside the US, including one Polk County case in March that was sexually transmitted.
If you traveled to an affected area up to eight weeks before the pregnancy was confirmed, discuss travel history with a doctor. While adults typically suffer mild, if any, symptoms, there’s an increasingly strong link between infections in pregnant women and fetal death and devastating birth defects babies born with small heads that signal a damaged brain.
“We are working to strengthen our services and public health system, to ensure the best outcome of anybody who may or may not get pregnant at this time”, she added.
The conditions exist in Montgomery County for there to be a Zika “outbreak”, according to health officials. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, has recommended that pregnant women postpone travel to Zika-affected countries.
In remote locations lacking window screens and/or air conditioning, the use of bed nets is advised. “Now, we know that we can not continue to fund a robust response to this disease without adequate resources, particularly for our partners in state and local government who bear much of the burden of fighting Zika”.
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Burwell said there are 672 confirmed cases in US territories such as Puerto Rico and the United States, including 64 pregnant women.
