United Nations health officials say they have not confirmed any laboratory cases of the Zika virus in athletes or anyone else associated with the Olympics, which concluded Sunday. The resident is a pregnant female who contracted the virus during travel to Central America.
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“We have the ability to do a number of things”, Governor Dannel Malloy told a news conference, “not the least of which is to do ground spraying to do our best to eliminate the mosquito, should we find it present and carrying Zika virus”.
Not only that, the virus will likely spread to several other southeastern states, with handfuls of cases cropping up from Texas to SC and even Oklahoma, the scientists added.
Palm Beach County joins Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties in having infections confirmed as occurring locally.
The other four cases were connected to mosquitoes in Miami’s Wynwood arts district, the first area in Florida to report local transmission of Zika. In these cases, the virus can cause microcephaly (small head syndrome), brain damage, and other birth defects. Many athletes, including National Basketball Association stars and professional golfers, skipped the games because of the Zika epidemic in Brazil.
He also urged Congress to make funds available to put a federal Zika plan into action.
But lawmakers earlier this summer failed to agree on both a request from President Barack Obama for $1.9 billion for anti-Zika efforts and a U.S. Senate plan that would have allocated $1.1 billion.
The state has called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to send 5,000 antibody tests.
Q: Should pregnant women travel to areas where Zika has been confirmed? Health officials also want to stress – while we do have cases here – the virus is not “spreading” here. Pregnant women should see a doctor if they have any Zika symptoms during their trip or within 2 weeks after traveling. If your partner has traveled to an area with Zika or if you are pregnant or considering getting pregnant, it is important to protect yourself during sexual activity.
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‘The vagina is a site where the virus can replicate and possibly transmit to partners.
