Four cases of Zika virus in Florida are likely the first transmitted locally by mosquitoes in the United States, officials said Friday, marking a new phase in the fast-growing pandemic.
Advertisement
All four cases occurred in a popular neighborhood of Miami known as Wynwood, according to The Washington Post.
A pregnant woman can pass Zika virus to her fetus during pregnancy or during birth.
Most people who get Zika get over it without even knowing they had it. Yet they’re a danger to others because, while they have it, mosquitoes that bite them can spread it to others – including pregnant women.
“This is not just a Florida issue; it’s a national issue”.
“We believe that widespread transmission in the continental U.S.is unlikely, but it’s not impossible and that’s why we’re aggressively keeping our guard up and investigating every possible incident that may represent widespread transmission”, he said.
If a person is infected and then bitten by a mosquito, that same mosquito can transmit the virus to others.
“As we have anticipated, Zika is now here”, said Tom Frieden, chief of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), speaking to reporters in a conference call.
So far, mosquitoes in Georgia have not bitten any of Georgia’s Zika patients and spread in that way. They’ll go out to the homes of infected people to make sure they don’t have ideal conditions for mosquito breeding grounds.
Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement that the four cases involve three men and one woman.
Until now, most Zika cases reported in the USA have been in people who had traveled to or lived in a Zika-affected country. Right now, there are 41 Zika travel-related cases in Georgia and more than 1,600 cases of Zika across the US.
Mosquito control inspectors in Miami have been going door-to-door in the area of investigation, spraying to kill mosquitoes and emptying containers of water mosquitoes need to breed, according to the AP.
Microcephaly is a condition that causes an infant to have an underdeveloped brain and a small head. Officials recommend you wear protection when sexually active during that time, use bug spray, and avoid areas with mosquitoes.
Advertisement
The Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) is asking anyone with symptoms to see a healthcare provider if they visited an area where Zika is present or had sexual contact with someone who has traveled to an area where the virus is present.
