The discovery of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in South Florida certainly isn’t ideal for tourism, but local officials and business leaders are confident the long-term impact on the tourism industry will be minor.
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Florida has done its part to slow the spread of Zika, but Gov. Rick Scott said it is time for the federal government to step up.
The health department is also in frequent contact with the Calvert County Mosquito Control Division. In Miami’s Wynwood area, experts have seen “substantial” knockdowns of mosquito populations.
Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC’s This Week on Sunday that he expects Texas and Louisiana to join Florida in the list of US states recording locally-acquired cases of Zika.
“We’ve had lots of phone calls reminding us about insect repellent and water safety, and getting rid of standing water”, Carol Carp said.
As of August 17, there were more than 10,200 confirmed cases of Zika virus in U.S. States and Territories.
They could also wear long sleeves and long trousers – especially during daylight, when the mosquitoes tend to be most active, health officials say.
President Barack Obama in February requested $1.9 billion to fight Zika but Congressional efforts to approve part of the funding deadlocked before lawmakers adjourned for the summer.
Most people who get Zika don’t even know they have it, Vespignani explains. This means current blood-based tests miss most cases.
Women with Zika should wait at least eight weeks after symptoms start before trying to get pregnant.
“When you have a sub-tropical, or semi-tropical region with the right mosquitoes, and individuals who have travel-related cases that are in the environment, it would not be surprising that we will see additional cases, not only in Florida, but perhaps in other of the Gulf Coast states”, he said.
Mayor Philip Levine told NY radio station AM 970 that Miami Beach is running smoothly, despite the Zika concerns.
A pregnant woman can pass Zika virus to her fetus, which may result in sever birth defects, such as microcephaly (small head and brain) and other defects.
According the latest situation report from the World Health Organization (WHO), 69 countries and territories have reported mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission since 2007 and the vast majority of the reports, 66, have come since 2015. Gigi Mains said she is concerned she could be exposed to the Zika virus while living in Broward County in south Florida. Health department officials say all of those cases are travel related and the numbers will likely climb.
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Things are much worse in the USA territory of Puerto Rico, where federal health officials have declared a public health emergency because Zika is spreading so rapidly among residents there.
