“That’s what we anticipated, and it reiterates the really important message, particularly for pregnant women, wherever the mosquito that spreads Zika best Ades Aegypti is present and that’s 30 states in the USA, pregnant women and others, should use mosquito repellent, wear long sleeves, long trousers and avoid mosquito bites”, said Thomas Frieden, M.D.
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“As we have anticipated, Zika is now here”, Frieden added.
As of July 27, 2016, 1,658 cases of Zika have been reported to CDC in the continental United States and Hawaii; none of these were the result of local spread by mosquitoes.
Taavon says pregnant women or women who may want to get pregnant should not go to areas with Zika-that now includes the Miami-area in Florida.
In Puerto Rico, over 4,500 cases of the virus, virtually all contracted through mosquitoes, was reported.
But Florida health department spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said that the state still has not invited in CDC’s wider emergency response team of experts in epidemiology, risk communication, vector control and logistics. Residents and visitors are urged to participate in requests for urine samples by the department in the areas of investigation. Rosebo has seen Miami-Dade mosquito control personnel spraying in the area the last few days.
Workers told ABC 17 News one patient is a man and two others are non-pregnant women.
Health officials believe the infections occurred in a small area just north of downtown Miami, in the popular Wynwood arts district, Scott said.
Because of the recent cases in Florida, the Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas said they are changing their donor eligibility.
It can be carried by mosquitos and is also thought to be sexually transmitted.
According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, the public should use mosquito repellent when spending time outdoors in mosquito-prone areas.
Federal health officials have not recommended that pregnant women avoid travel to South Florida. These cases are believed to have caught the virus locally through mosquito bites.
There is no treatment or preventive vaccine for Zika. Most people infected with Zika won’t have symptoms, but for those who do, the illness is usually mild.
But for expectant mothers, infection with the Zika virus can lead to infants born with serious brain defects and developmental abnormalities, especially an abnormally small head in a condition called microcephaly.
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The Baltimore Health Department said they have an action plan already working to prevent further spread of the infection.
