“Today, I am the bearer of sad news: we have confirmed New York City’s first baby born with microcephaly associated with the Zika virus”, said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio said in a press release. Health officials are going door-to-door in Broward and Miami-Dade counties near the homes and work places of the two individuals.
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As the city of Miami deals with two reported transmissions of the Zika virus the city has heightened its mosquito control initiatives.
The funding will support activities to protect the health of the public, especially pregnant women, through epidemiologic surveillance and investigation, strengthening laboratory capacity, and improving mosquito control and monitoring.
Florida officials are rushing to investigate the singular case of Zika contracted in the US.
And everywhere so far that Zika has spread have been areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes abound. “And we may even confirm that there are cases that are non-travel related”. So far, 334 people are reported to have the virus in Florida, including 46 women who are pregnant.
Brazilian scientists have identified another Zika-transmitting mosquito, responsible for causing over 1,700 babies to be born with microcephaly in the South American country since October 2015.
The best protection against the virus is prevention: cover up, wear insect repellent day and night, empty water from all containers in lawns at least once a week to halt the mosquito breeding cycle, and use screens on windows and doors if the air-conditioning is not running. Follow these safe sex guidelines if your partner has traveled to a Zika-infested area.
Health officials said lab tests confirmed the patient’s infection, and there’s no apparent connection to travel outside the country. “It is a risk that affects us right here”.
OneBlood representatives said they’ve been informed about the suspected non-travel case of Zika.
In addition to mosquitoes, the Zika virus can be transmitted through sex.
In Brevard County, Health First TeleHealth is now offering a consultation with a Health-First Medical Group provider over the telephone or through video conferencing.
The city health department on Wednesday urged women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant to delay travel to areas affected by the virus. “This is a pretty simple prevention effort that will help reduce the population of these types of mosquitoes in Georgia”.
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This map shows the distribution of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the United States.
