In regards to Zika, the DPH is encouraging anyone who may be traveling to Zika-affected regions including certain areas of Florida, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Pacific Islands, and US territories to take strict precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes.
Advertisement
In a release, the FDA suggests that testing will help ensure that the blood available through banks is universally safe.
Last month, blood centers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale had to halt donations until they could begin screening each unit of blood.
Despite positive news earlier this week about the “Zika Zone” shrinking in the Wynwood area, officials in the county’s other transmission area are still holding their breath that the worst has already taken place. Zika is also transmitted by sex, increasing the range of where it might be carried. The virus can lead to symptoms such as fever, joint pain, the maculopapular rash and red, irritated eyes.
“It’s clear that additional precautionary measures are necessary”, said FDA’s acting chief scientist Luciana Borio, in a statement. Among them, almost 1,400 pregnant women have evidence of a Zika infection. In July 2016, the first cases of local or non-travel related transmission of Zika virus in the continental US were reported in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
These states are in proximity to areas where Zika is actively spreading via mosquitoes or where there are a significant number of cases related to other exposures, including sexual transmission.
Advertisement
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, promotes and protects the public health by, among other things, assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices.
