He also called for federal health officials to provide the state with at least 1,000 Zika antibody tests so the state can test pregnant women who have traveled to affected countries and experienced symptoms of the virus.
Advertisement
“This is an important reminder for travelers to countries with the Zika virus, especially pregnant travelers and those of childbearing age and planning a pregnancy to take all precautions to prevent mosquito bites”, said Dr. Adi Pour, Director of the Douglas County Health Department.
Serologic testing is recommended within 2 to 12 weeks for pregnant women without symptoms who have returned from traveling to areas with ongoing Zika transmission.
But the US CDC stressed that although sexual transmission is possible, mosquito bites remain the primary way that the Zika virus is transmitted.
The meeting focused on ways to control the mosquito population spreading the virus, though reports of a United States patient catching the disease by having sex fuelled fears that it will not be easy to contain. The disease, which can cause birth defects in babies if pregnant women are exposed to the virus, was declared an global emergency by the World Health Organization Monday.
Ranson says, so far, her agency isn’t doing anything special to prepare for Zika.
“This is not a generalized public health measure, for the love of God”, he added, stressing both the seriousness of the discovery and reality that it was too soon to say how it could impact the epidemic.
Scott signed the order to cover Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties.
Frieden, MD, MPH, said that as more evidence supporting the association between microcephaly and Zika infection becomes available, the priority should be protecting pregnant women. It is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes.
“At the meeting, the health minister explained the current situation about the outbreak of the Zika virus”, he said, asking that his name not be used as he lacked authority to speak to press. But the number of locally acquired cases statewide dropped to six the following year and just one last year.
Spain’s health ministry sought to ease concerns over the spread of the virus, pointing out that all seven cases in the country had caught the disease overseas. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting up to a week.
Advertisement
US health experts cautioned Friday that the apparent discovery of the Zika virus in saliva and urine from people in Brazil does not necessarily mean the virus can be spread by more casual contact with infected people, such as through kissing. “We don’t see the need to jump into this”. The first outbreaks occurred in 2007 and 2013 in the Pacific Islands.
