In a letter sent to Scott Thursday, Gimenez asked Scott to repay the costs for controlling the Zika virus, which has hit South Florida by storm in recent months. Brazil has reported the vast majority of cases and the birth defect microcephaly.
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The DNA-based vaccine contains genetic pieces of the Zika virus. It is meant to promote an immune response that would protect against the mosquito-borne virus that can cause devastating birth defects, according to a statement from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
A Campbell County woman is the first person in Wyoming to contract Zika, and state health officials say she contracted it in a foreign country. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Eighty-eight people have been hospitalized, and 27 have been diagnosed with a temporary paralysis condition called Guillain-Barre that has been linked to Zika.
The center announced on August 4 that a 43-year-old local woman who spent five months in Saint Lucia with her husband and returned to Taiwan on July 24 was confirmed to have been infected with the virus.
It also allows Puerto Rico to temporarily reassign public health workers to assist in the Zika response. The virus is particularly risky for pregnant women as it is linked to birth defects.
In light of the potential health risks associated with pregnancy and Zika, special emphasis will be placed on the importance of prevention of the infection in pregnant women, the health ministry said. The woman who tested positive was not pregnant, health officials said.
Pregnant women or women who may become pregnant should use condoms during sex with people who have traveled to Zika-affected areas.
Before the class, the couple said they had questions about how frequently they should get tested for Zika and how to prevent the virus from passing to the fetus if they did get infected.
The CDC’s current recommendations for precautions surrounding the virus are based on a maximum observed semen lifespan of 93 days, or about three months.
School leaders suggest students wear long sleeves to protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitos.
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“The threat of Zika to future generations of Puerto Ricans is evident, and I feel a responsibility to do everything that is within my reach to make sure we fight the spread of the virus”, he said in a statement.
