Five cases of Zika have been connected to mosquitoes in Miami Beach, bringing the state’s caseload to 36 infections not related to travel outside the U.S., Florida’s governor and health department announced Friday.
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said that pregnant women who are especially anxious about exposure to Zika might also consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County.
The most common symptoms of Zika include low fever or rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, which became evident a few days after transmission from an infected mosquito or after sexual intercourse with an infected person, said Linton.
Over in Odessa, officials with the Ector County Health Department say they have not had a confirmed Zika case.
Governor Rick Scott said at a press conference that they had identified a new area in Miami Beach where local transmissions were occurring and that they are stepping up pesticide spraying efforts in that area.
Shaikh reported that only one in five persons infected with Zika will show symptoms, and urged that residents who have travelled to areas where the virus is prevalent, or are at risk of having the virus sexually transmitted by someone who has travelled, take extra precautions not to further spread the virus.
Officials believe the virus is only spreading in a 1 1/2 mile part of Miami Beach, but that area includes the much-visited South Beach area, Scott said.
The DOH previously identified areas in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami where the virus is being spread by mosquitos. “It is possible that other neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County have active Zika transmission that is not yet apparent”, CDC director Thomas Frieden told reporters yesterday.
Pregnant women are at greatest risk because the virus can have devastating consequences for an unborn baby, including the birth defect microcephaly and other neurological deficits, as well as miscarriage and stillbirth among women who were infected while pregnant. The virus only causes mild, flu-like symptoms in most people, making it hard to confirm local transmissions, the CDC said.
“For this reason, it is possible that other neighbourhoods in Miami-Dade County have active Zika transmission that is not yet apparent”, the CDC’s statement said.
The discovery of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in South Florida certainly isn’t ideal for tourism, but local officials and business leaders are confident the long-term impact on the tourism industry will be minor.
The county will else mandate that all pregnant women throughout the county be tested at Ob/Gyn facilities, and increase fines for households that do not adhere to prevention standards set forth by the department.
Women with Zika should wait at least 8 weeks after symptoms start before trying to get pregnant.
The Aegyptus mosquito transmits the Zika virus to humans through its bite.
The spread of Zika in the Miami area has raised concern that visitors may avoid the popular tourist resort. As of August 19, the state has confirmed 36 cases of non-travel related Zika virus, 488 cases of travel-related Zika virus and 68 cases involving pregnant women.
For a current list of countries with reported locally-acquired Zika virus, see the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Zika website.
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As of Thursday, there are also 479 travel-related cases of Zika in Florida. “That’s scary for us because we eventually want to have more kids”. Of those, 1,106 are pregnant women. An emergency response team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help Florida authorities investigate the outbreak, collect samples and control mosquitoes.
