However, this week cases of locally transmitted Zika were reported in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Previously, the requirement was limited to areas with active Zika transmission, such as Puerto Rico and two Florida counties.
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“The FDA is updating its guidance after careful consideration of all available scientific evidence, consultation with other public health agencies, and taking into consideration the potential serious health consequences of Zika virus infection to pregnant women and children born to women exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy”, Marks noted. The virus can also be spread through sex.
The Rio 2016 organizing committee is anxious about the rapid spread of the Zika virus in Brazil, but has not yet seen evidence of people canceling travel to the Olympics in August, communications director Mario Andrada said on Tuesday.
Over 2,500 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the infection, and more than 9,000 in the United States territories such as Puerto Rico, with most of those cases brought in by people who were infected while traveling overseas.
In other recent Zika news, experts have wondered if the virus might sometimes be transmitted through blood transfusions, and a cluster of infections in Brazil seems to support that notion.
Elsewhere, Texas health officials have reported what appears to be the first case of Zika infection traveling across state lines.
Most of the cases within the continental US involved individuals who contracted the virus while traveling in another country, while most of the Puerto Rico cases were locally acquired, according to the CDC.
The Zika outbreak was first detected past year in Brazil and since then the virus has been reported in more than 30 countries.
Once infected, a person is likely to be immune from future Zika illnesses. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.
“She was recently traveling in Latin America”, Levin said.
The CDC advises pregnant women not to travel to an area where active Zika transmission is ongoing, and to use insect repellent and wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts if they are in those areas. Condoms and other barrier methods can prevent sexual transmission of the virus.
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This Q & A will tell you what you need to know about Zika.
