The virus is spread through the bite of an Aedes Aegypti mosquito primarily found in the southern United States.
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Three new cases of the Zika virus were confirmed in Florida today, bringing total there to 99, state health officials say.
As of Tuesday, one of the new cases of the mosquito-borne virus was from Miami-Dade County, another in Palm Beach County and the other is a pregnant woman – totaling the number of cases in the state to 102. The other two cases were also found in people who traveled out the country to areas where the virus is present.
A pregnant woman from CT who traveled to Central America has tested positive for the Zika virus.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization released a report encouraging scientists and health care workers to consider as many new ways of fighting the virus as possible.
The CDC says women who are pregnant are considered higher risk for infection and can cause severe birth defects. The state lab was approved to test for Zika in April. “In light of Puerto Rico’s healthcare crisis, we are proud to announce we’ve donated 1 million condoms to our neighbors, and we will continue our campaign focusing on Zika prevention for pregnant women and global travelers”.
The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Symptoms of the virus last between seven to 10 days.
To combat the virus from spreading in the US, health officials are urging people to remain vigilant if they need to travel to Puerto Rico. Scientists at the DPH positively identified specific antibodies in the patient’s blood, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed their findings.
According to the interim guide, employers and workers in healthcare settings and laboratories should follow good infection control and biosafety practices (including universal precautions) as appropriate, to prevent or minimize the risk of transmission of infectious agents (e.g., Zika virus).
“Wolbachia showed to be as effective on Zika as the most important dengue experiments we did”, Moreira said.
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Unlike the continental US, virtually all of Puerto Rico’s cases have occurred locally through bites from the Aedes mosquito.
