Texas reported its first Zika-related death Tuesday after a baby girl whose mother traveled to El Salvador while pregnant died shortly after birth in a suburban Houston hospital.
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There is no vaccine yet or treatment for infection with Zika virus.
“I directed the Texas Department of Health Services to work closely with our local partners as well as with our partners at the Center for Disease Control to prevent a Zika outbreak here in Texas as well as to prepare the strongest possible Zika response plan”.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is only reporting limited information about Zika cases to protect patient privacy.
The officials stressed that “the mother and baby are classified as travel-related cases, and there is no additional associated risk in Texas”. The deadly virus, which has been linked to microcephaly – a birth defect where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected – has now been associated with rare, but severe, joint deformities in babies. Only in Florida has the disease been found to be spreading locally by mosquitoes, while every state has seen at least one Zika infection connected to global travel. However, no additional threat related to the virus is now present in Texas.
The CDC reports that 479 pregnant women have been infected by Zika, nearly all of whom were exposed while in one of the more than 50 countries where the virus is spreading. “We are devastated to report our first case of Zika-associated death and our hearts go out to the family”, said Dr. Shah. There are no locally-spread cases in Texas, however, officials are reminding people to get rid of standing water where mosquitoes breed and use insect repellent with DEET.
Zika virus is spread primarily through the bite of the Aedes species mosquito.
Republicans, though, said Democrats should drop their political opposition to one part of the legislation and pass the Zika bill. That has left politicians to face angry voters in Florida. Democrats, who stand ready to approve the funding if the extra provisions are stripped from the bill, are confident swing voters are angrier with Republicans. Tim Kaine, has already said he’d return to Washington for a vote on a Zika bill. Health officials still say the only area that has active local transmission is the small area just north of downtown Miami.
At the Miami rally, Clinton said she is very disappointed that Congress made a decision to break without passing any legislation to fund combat measures against the spreading virus.
“This is not only an issue affecting us here in Florida, this is a national issue”, said governor Rick Scott, describing the baby’s death in Texas as “a heartbreaking tragedy in our country”.
Donald Trump has said little about the funding controversy, suggesting last week that Florida has the Zika fight under control. Soon after, Mr. Scott said the federal government has not provided his state the resources it needs.
Although most cases of Zika are relatively mild – many infected people don’t even realize they have the disease – the virus can have serious consequences for pregnant women and newborns.
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Previously officials said only those who had traveled to a Zika-affected region or their sexual partners should be tested.
