Fiocruz institute said Thursday that additional studies will be needed to determine what role the widespread Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito has played in the dissemination of Zika.
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And everywhere so far that Zika has spread have been areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes abound.
The NYC Department of Health reported the first case of female-to-male sexual transmission of Zika virus on July 15.
Florida is now investigating two possible cases of non-travel-associated Zika.
The species of mosquito most commonly associated with Zika’s spread hasn’t been found in the tri-state, but a similar species lives here..
At the time, Auckland University researcher José Derraik said even though the risk of mosquitoes transmitting viruses to humans in New Zealand was very low, it could not be disregarded. “It doesn’t mean they transmit the virus”, Hotez said.
And malaria, caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, is spread by entirely different species of mosquito, mostly Anopheles.
On Tuesday, Florida said it was investigating a possible Zika case in a Miami-Dade County woman. People who do get infected usually have a mild illness, but it has been found to lead to severe birth defects if a pregnant woman is infected.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
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USA health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.
