A baby who was born with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus has died in the Houston area.
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The mayor said since the spraying began over the same 10-square mile area in and around Wynwood, the population of mosquitoes that carry the virus in the area has been reduced by 97 percent.
Another Harris County infant to have microcephaly linked to Zika was reported last month.
According to KTRK, a baby girl born with microcephaly died shortly after birth.
“Zika’s impact on unborn babies can be tragic, and our hearts are with this family”, said John Hellerstedt, the health agency’s commissioner, in a news release Tuesday. “Therefore, any and all methods of preventing the possible transmission of the Zika virus should be promoted and shared with the public as part of a wider public health education and prevention strategy”.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 1,825 Zika cases in the United States. “Nevertheless, sexual transmission of the Zika virus remains a significant mode of transmission of this devastating virus”.
There’s now a travel warning for pregnant women and their partners, not to travel to the Wynwood community while Zika is prevalent.
Hillary Clinton is turning to a major health issue in the battleground state of Florida with a visit Tuesday to a Miami neighborhood dealing with the first USA outbreak of the Zika virus.
More than 7,300 Americans have been diagnosed with Zika, including 1,825 in the continental US and Hawaii, according to the CDC.
The SunCoast Blood Bank, which supports hospitals in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto and Charlotte counties, is testing all donors for the Zika virus. It usually comes with mild symptoms, including a rash, fever and joint pain.
Zika virus is most commonly spread through mosquito bites, though there have been some reports of it being sexually transmitted as well. These infections are thought to have occurred because the patients’ partners had traveled to countries where Zika is circulating, the CDC said. “But unlike some things like West Nile and encephalitis that can lead to death, the good news is if you’re not looking to be pregnant, it’s not going to risk your life, like some of the other diseases we have”.
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There is no vaccine yet or treatment for infection with Zika virus. “I would very much urge the leadership of Congress to call people back for a special session and get a bill passed”.
