To date, the United States has reported more than 1,600 cases of the Zika virus, most of which have been associated with travel to areas hit by the disease; health officials with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the number of Zika cases in Puerto Rico is approaching 5,000. The Zika virus, which causes grave birth defects and other brain and nerve disorders, is being spread by mosquitoes in South Florida, officials said Friday.
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U.S. health officials have cautioned for months that the summer mosquito season was likely to bring local outbreaks, with Gulf Coast states such as Florida, Texas and Louisiana, on the frontlines.
So far, the 1,400 Zika infections reported in the United States have been linked to travel to countries with Zika outbreaks in Latin America or the Caribbean.
“We are testing the mosquitoes there and we spraying to make sure it’s contained”, Governor Scott said, before noting that the health department does not believe the transmission is “ongoing”.
Under an emergency declaration, Scott already gave the state authority to spend $26.2 million to combat Zika, which has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than normal.
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The governor also says that the DOH will work with the Department of Agriculture to ensure that mosquito control in the areas of concern will have the resources they need.
The Zika virus has spread rapidly worldwide.
Blood donations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties have been halted until donation centers are able to test each unit of donated blood for Zika.
It is the only part of the state being tested for potential local transmissions of Zika, he said. But because travel-related transmission had been ruled out in these four cases, local transmission is assumed to be the cause.
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OneBlood, Florida’s main supplier of blood donations, has said it will be testing all of its supply for the Zika virus. “We continue to recommend that everyone in areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are present-and especially pregnant women-take steps to avoid mosquito bites”. Partners of pregnant women are advised to use a condom to guard against sexual transmission during pregnancy.
