In the U.S., more than 1,650 Zika infections have been reported, but on Friday the governor of Florida said four people in the southern part of the state were likely to have contracted the Zika virus through bites from local mosquitoes rather than travel overseas.
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“Pregnant women should consider postponing non-essential travel to affected areas until after the pregnancy”.
Many more areas, including a number of countries in south and central America and the Caribbean, are categorised as being “high” risk.
Microcephaly is a neurological condition where babies are born with small heads and sometimes-small brains. The four people seem to have been infected for several weeks, and US officials say they don’t see a reason to advise people to avoid the area, noting that mosquito control measures in the area have been stepped up and there haven’t been more cases identified.
A Disney spokeswoman referred questions about its Zika preparedness to the CDC guidelines for preventing mosquito bites.
“We know the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is known to carry Zika virus, is present in Florida”, said Paul Cosford, director of health protection at Public Health England.
Fifty-three cases of Zika have been reported in the United Kingdom, according to The Guardian. Earlier this month he called the Zika threat a “full-blown health crisis” for the U.S., allying himself with California Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat, who said, “we need to act now”.
“Florida has become the first state in our nation to have local transmission of the Zika virus”, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Friday.
Some medical experts said pregnant women should not travel to the Miami area, especially if it involves spending time outdoors.
Zika virus has been reported in Africa and parts of Asia since the 1950s, and in the southwestern Pacific Ocean since 2007. The same goes if you reside in or are planning a trip to other Gulf Coast states such as Texas and Louisiana where mosquitos capable of transmitting the disease are prevalent.
“If you’re coming to Florida as a tourist, if you’re coming to the theme parks, then you’re coming to some of the safest places in the world because they have mosquito control down like no place else”, said Jacobs.
The updated advice comes amid reports that the United Kingdom might no longer deport pregnant women who do not have the right to stay in Britain if their home country has the Zika virus.
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Public Health England and The Foreign Office has today issued the warning, telling anyone with any concerns to seeks advice before making the journey.
