The California Department of Public Health announced Thursday the birth of two babies with Zika-related defects in the state.
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As the state of Florida begins to report cases of people contracting the Zika virus on U.S. soil, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is taking steps to protect Ohioans from the mosquito-borne illness.
These are the first cases of Zika transmission by local mosquitoes in the continental U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
There are no species of mosquitoes capable of transmitting the Zika virus in IL, officials said, meaning people with the virus contracted it outside of the state. The CDC has warned pregnant women not to travel to infected areas.
Some of the most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain and red, itchy eyes.
The health department has conducted testing for the Zika virus for more than 2,460 people statewide.
Thirty-three members of the United States military have contracted the Zika virus overseas in countries where the virus has been identified, according to the Pentagon.
Frieden cautioned that the mosquitoes that carry Zika also live indoors, where aerial spraying can’t reach them. “Pregnant women should avoid travel to that area”, said Dr. Nirav D. Shah. Of those 114 infections 21 are pregnant women.
The ADPH continues to follow closely the current situation with the Zika virus and adjusts the state’s response plan accordingly. Nor would the state reveal if any of them are pregnant women, a vulnerable population given the apparent link to Zika and birth defects in unborn children. “If they don’t, we’re gonna fund it”, Governor Rick Scott says.
The grant money will also be used to test Vermonters who come back from areas with active Zika cases.
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The Cayman Islands’ fourth imported case of the Zika virus was confirmed Wednesday by public health officials.
