Investigators are still trying to verify whether the cases were contracted in South Florida.
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At this Miami home, Smart found mosquito larvae in water held in the leaves of a bromeliad, a flowering plant common in South Florida yards. “We want to ensure that pregnant women have the information they need to protect their babies, and we strongly recommend that they follow the travel advice and delay travel to countries with Zika”, she said. “Just to have patience”.
The baby is one of several known cases of babies being born with microcephaly in the United States due to the Zika virus in recent months.
Another mosquito that is less prevalent in Florida, Aedes albopictus mosquito or tiger mosquito, is also known to transmit the virus but scientists do not consider it a significant source of Zika transmission, according to an Associated Press report. So far, none have come back positive.
Officials said residents can use turkey basters to test their plants, and if mosquitos are swimming around in the water, to flush them out every couple of days.
The infant has been diagnosed with microcephaly, a condition in which the child’s skull is too small for its brain, crushing the brain and causing severe neurological damage.
Health leaders in the U.S. said the findings have to be replicated. This week, the White House announced it was sending $60 million in Zika funding to the states, including $5.6 million for Florida.
Dr. Dawn Wesson is an Associate Professor of Tropical Medicine at Tulane University.
Before this study was completed by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Zika was thought to be carried exclusively by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. But so far, funds haven’t been made available for intensive testing and surveillance. “These results will help the department determine the number of people affected”, the agency said. “That requires some resources and it’s not being done”.
“Any time we’re going outside or going to be outside for a while then I bring it with us”, said Johnson, of New Orleans.
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To avoid getting infected, health officials advise that pregnant women refrain from unnecessary travel to places where the virus is circulating, as well as abstain from having unprotected sex with someone who is infected with Zika or has traveled to a place where it is circulating.
