Statewide, there were 369 confirmed Zika cases as of Tuesday that don’t involve pregnant women.
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Zika often causes no symptoms, but is particularly unsafe for pregnant women because it can lead to the birth defect microcephaly, in which infants are born with unusually small heads and deformed brains.
The Cayman Islands have identified their first locally transmitted Zika virus case, in a man from George Town who became ill on Jul 25, according to a statement today from the territory’s Health Services Authority.
Florida now has 21 people who contracted the virus locally.
Researchers in Brazil are shedding some light on a possible association between the Zika virus and arthrogryposis, a condition that causes joint deformities at birth.
Meanwhile, Texas reported its first fatal Zika-linked microcephaly case, in a baby born to a mother infected outside the United States.
Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its go-ahead for a test program to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Lower Keys neighborhood of Key Haven with the goal of reducing the population of the Zika-carrying mosquitoes.
“We don’t know for sure, but we think there’s a problem with the motor neurons. and that the damage is probably because of the virus”, she said in a telephone interview.
The CDC says 15 infants have been born in the United States with Zika-related defects, and six pregnancy losses are associated with Zika infection.
As of Tuesday morning, Texas had 99 reported cases of Zika, including two infants with Microcephaly in Harris County.
Texas has reported 97 cases of Zika infection, including the two infants with microcephaly, the department said, adding there have been no reported cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas.
Rios recommends women who are having intercourse while pregnant to use condoms for the duration of their pregnancies.
But the presidential candidate criticized Congress for going on recess without passing a bill focused on combating Zika.
County public health officials confirmed the third case Wednesday during telephone interviews with the Sun-Star, however they said they became aware of a third patient some time last week. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).
Lawmakers should pass the US$1.1 billion (RM4.431 billion) bipartisan bill for the mosquito-borne virus, Clinton said, or come up with a new compromise. Harris County has reported 31 Zika cases, including 14 in Houston.
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The National Institutes of Health is working on a vaccine against Zika.
