The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) echoes Centers for Disease Control’s recent recommendation that pregnant women avoid travel to an area in Miami, Florida, because of the risk of Zika virus.
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In addition to the travel warning aimed at pregnant women, the CDC said pregnant women in the Miami area should make every effort to avoid mosquito bites.
Rick Scott announced this week that an additional 10 people in the state have been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus, bringing the total to 14.
Dr. Neil Silverman, an OBY-GYN at the University of California, Los Angeles, is advising pregnant women to avoid travel across two southern Florida counties: Miami-Dade County and Broward County.
The number of Zika virus infections in Florida is on the rise, with the possibility of the virus spreading to other areas in the U.S. But as scary as that is, there ARE ways to protect yourself – starting with recognizing if you’ve been infected.
The four Florida infections are thought to have occurred in a small area just north of downtown Miami, in the Wynwood arts district.
“The surveillance helps establish a baseline so we can see what microcephaly looked like in the past, allowing us to track Zika”, Van Deusen said. The governor said that officials are being “very aggressive” at combating Zika and testing residents.
In order to prevent mosquito bites, the CDC recommends covering exposed skin, using EPA-registered insect repellents and stay in air-conditioned rooms.
Only about 1 in 5 people with Zika report symptoms. Speaking Tuesday morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, Frieden said officials were finding it hard to eradicate the mosquito in the affected area. At Florida’s request, CDC is also sending a CDC Emergency Response Team with experts in Zika virus, pregnancy and birth defects, vector control, laboratory science and risk communications to assist in the response. And men who have had symptoms of Zika should wait at least six months, the CDC says.
The CDC also said couples who have traveled to the area since June 15 should wait eight extra weeks before attempting to become pregnant.
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There are now 168 travel-related cases of Zika virus in Canada, and one sexually transmitted case.
