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Mosquitoes spread Zika in 4 cases, Florida says

Its travel advice was updated after Florida confirmed four cases of the virus transmitted by local mosquitoes.

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“At present, only a zone of about one square mile in Miami-Dade County is considered at risk of active transmission”. Zika virus is spread through the bite of a mosquito that is in certain countries.

County officials said there are now no reports of locally transmitted Zika virus in the county.

In the case of Hocking County, Health Commissioner Doug Fisher confirmed to The Logan Daily News that the person who had tested positive in Hocking County had contracted the virus while traveling in South America.

President Obama has asked his team to ensure Florida has the support it needs after being briefed on the new cases. “But no one should be surprised”.

Over sixty states have reported evidence of Zika virus transmission since 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a situation report.

These would not, however, be the first cases of person-to-person Zika transmission within the US.

“Congress has been sitting on a $1.9 billion proposal that would more fully fund federal response to this public health emergency”, White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said, as reported by Politico.

For months, health experts have warned that a small local outbreak of the disease was likely to occur within the US and that local and state health departments should be ready.

Dr Gavin Boyd, head of infection control at the Calderdale and Huddersfield hospitals, told the Yorkshire Post there “is no specific treatment for Zika and it usually wears off naturally after two to seven days”.

Since the start of the Zika virus outbreak in Central and South America, the CDC has recommended pregnant women postpone travel to countries where local transmission has occurred, even in some instances where the number of cases was small. But “we don’t expect widespread transmission in the continental United States”, the CDC’s Frieden said.

The Zika virus can be much more unsafe for pregnant women. “We have worked hard to stay ahead of the spread of Zika and prepare for the worst”.

“If you’re travelling to any of these places you should follow the advice of the National Travel Health Network and Centre and discuss your travel plans with your healthcare provider, particularly if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant”.

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The study found that Florida cities have the heaviest amount of travelers arriving from countries where the Zika virus has become pandemic in combination with the longest mosquito season in the United States.

Rick Scott said health officials believe the infections occurred in a small area just north of central Miami