Almost half of Americans polled say they are wary of traveling to places in the US where people have been infected with the Zika virus by mosquitoes, such as parts of Florida.
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MIAMI (AP) – Authorities in Florida said Thursday they have found the Zika virus in three groups of trapped mosquitoes in Miami Beach, the first time this has happened in the continental U.S.
“This find is disappointing, but not surprising”, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said. Other isolated cases not linked to travel outside the USA have been confirmed elsewhere in Miami-Dade County, as well as in neighboring counties and in the Tampa Bay area, totaling 47 for the state.
Singapore said a pregnant woman tested positive for the Zika virus on Wednesday, with the number of reported cases climbing to more than 100 since the first locally transmitted infection was identified earlier this week.
MOH added that all of the 57 foreigners who tested positive for Zika in Singapore had “mild illness” and most have recovered.
A poll released Thursday suggests almost 48 percent of Americans are wary of traveling to US destinations where people have been infected with Zika through mosquito bites.
Chris Reisinger, an environmental analyst with the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management’s Mosquito Control Division will speak about the number of infections in Palm Beach County and mosquito control activities 2 p.m. September 15 at the North Palm Beach Library, 303 Anchorage Drive.
Most of the Zika infections from Florida mosquitoes have been in the Miami area, not the tourist mecca of Orlando and its theme parks.
Once the hurricane passes, the remaining water will provide breeding sites for mosquitoes, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. It can also spread from a pregnant woman to her fetus resulting in microcephaly, severe brain malformations, and other birth defects.
And with Hurricane Hermine bringing much more rain to Florida, Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday ordered the county to immediately conduct aerial spraying by helicopter as recommended by the CDC.
The Zika virus, which has spread through the Americas and the Caribbean since late past year, is generally a mild disease but has been linked to microcephaly – a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.
The new cases include the second pregnant woman in Singapore to be diagnosed with Zika.
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Singapore health officials on Thursday sought to reassure the global community that the disease is under control after the United States and Britain joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to the city-state. In total, there are 141 Zika cases in Texas. Common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes).
