New York City health-care providers have administered Zika tests to 2,000 pregnant women who have traveled to areas affected by the virus.
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Although the primary means of transmission of Zika is through the bite of an infected mosquito, the virus can also be spread by sexual contact and can be passed from mother to baby.
“The department’s investigations into the possible non-travel related Zika virus cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are ongoing and the department will share more details as they become available”, the department said in a statement.
Zika infection during pregnancy has been linked to severe birth defects.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have now been 12 confirmed cases of babies born with microcephaly in the United States, and more than 400 pregnant woman in the continental US have evidence of Zika infection.
So far, nearly all of the nation’s more than 1,400 cases involved people who were infected while traveling in Zika hot zones.
CDC is also investigating one possible case of person-to-person transmission of Zika in Utah.
Needle said the convention discussed ways individuals can prevent the virus, such as applying bug spray and dumping out standing water. Officials say going door-to-door and spraying by hand is the most efficient way to stop the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the spread of Zika. “To date, approximately 200 people have been interviewed and tested as part of the department’s investigations and we await additional lab results”.
New York City will be receiving $3.6 million in federal funds to combat the Zika virus and the rest of New York state will receive $1.7 million.
USA health officials have warned to expect local transmission of the virus from mosquitoes but don’t expect widespread transmission, as has been seen in Puerto Rico and throughout the Americas. They’re investigating two cases of Zika that may have been contracted from mosquitoes in Florida, not by people traveling overseas.
CDC plans to award another $10 million to states and territories on August 1 to speed identification of microcephaly and other birth defects linked to Zika.
Mosquito control patrols have shifted into high gear after two cases of Zika were confirmed in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
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The Obama administration is asking Congress for $1.9 billion to fund the fight against Zika, so far without success.
