While this is the first documented case of a woman spreading Zika through sex, health experts say it is not surprising because most diseases that can be spread through sex can be spread by both men and women. It means the disease could spread among Floridians who just go outside.
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As of July 13, 1,306 cases of Zika have been reported in the continental United States and Hawaii, and none of these have been the result of local spread by mosquitoes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In U.S. territories there have been 2,905 cases.
There are 43 pregnant women among Florida’s confirmed infections. Georgia has had 33 cases of Zika. Most have been in travelers returning from countries where the virus is spreading.
Eighty percent of people who get infected don’t get sick but the biggest concern is for pregnant women because the virus can cause serious birth defects. Zika can also be spread from a mother to her unborn child, through sexual contact, and likely through blood transfusions.
Evidence of the virus in mosquitoes captured in the same areas also might help investigators declare Zika is spreading, but short of that, it might be hard to determine with certainty that mosquito transmission has occurred.
The virus causes only a mild illness in most people. In a study published last month, a team led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin detected Zika virus in the vaginal fluid of rhesus macaque monkeys. Fourteen cases were sexually transmitted and one lab worker was stuck with a contaminated needle.
What are we doing to get that knowledge?
Another case of Zika virus has been confirmed in a North Dakota resident, the third such instance of the mosquito-spread illness, the state Department of Health said.
GOP leaders counter that Democrats have delayed Zika funding because most refused to support the Republican measure. And local Utah authorities said the public shouldn’t fear general Zika transmission. We are working across the federal government on our whole of government response.
According to the CDC, 1,100 people in the USA have tested positive for the Zika virus and one in five Americans are infected with the Zika virus, but they don’t even know they have it.
The most important step in controlling mosquitoes is to find all of the places where water can accumulate and dumping the water out, according to DHEC officials.
“We make sure there’s always mosquito fishes here”, Kim said.
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This Q&A will tell you what you need to know about Zika.
