Most of the cases stem from mosquito bites that occurred in and around Wynwood, health officials have said.
Advertisement
NEWS BRIEF More than 40 members of the US military have contracted the Zika virus this year in countries where it is present, government officials said; among them a pregnant woman, for whom Zika can be particularly risky.
A team of CDPH experts in different disciplines is cooperating with local authorities and the CDC to guarantee an “aggressive” and “appropriate” response to the emerging threat of the virus in California. Researchers initially thought women in the first trimester of pregnancy infected with Zika had a roughly 1 percent chance of their unborn child developing microcephaly, Gottlieb said.
Aerial mosquito spraying is now underway in Miami in an effort to control mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus.
More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the USA – none involving bites from local mosquitoes – 14 of these were sexually transmitted, and one lab worker was infected by a needle stick. No pregnant women are among the MI cases.
Health officials are warning pregnant women to avoid traveling to a small area in southern Florida, where the unsafe virus has been spreading.
California will receive $3.6 million over five years from the federal government to track babies born in the state with microcephaly, a birth defect caused by the Zika virus. “If they don’t, we’re gonna fund it”, said Gov. Scott.
The first confirmed Zika virus infection was found in May 2015 in Brazil. Regardless, health officials said protecting yourself from Zika is the same as West Nile.
Symptoms include fever, itching and muscle pain and scientists believe the infection can cause birth defects including an abnormally small head and brain damage.
Advertisement
Since the zika virus can also be spread through sexual contact, residents are being advised to use barrier methods of contraception and postpone any plans of starting a family.
