Information on the Zika virus, including affected countries, is available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The patients were residents of 33 states and Washington, D.C., and all had reported either recently traveling to areas with the Zika virus or having sexual contact with such a traveler, according to the CDC. The spread of Zika, a rare tropical disease that has now become an epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, is seen by some medical professionals as being as challenging as the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
With 30 imported cases, Miami-Dade County continues to report the highest number of Zika infections in the state. The virus itself is very mild but it can be spread from a woman to her fetus and cause a birth defect called microcephaly, she said. “They should also know about the potential serious threat to pregnant women”, said Dr. Tracy Murphy, state epidemiologist and Public Health Sciences Section administrator with WDH.
The mosquito breeds that transmit Zika thrive in water in artificial containers, such as bird baths, yet also can thrive in bromeliad plants that are widespread in Southwest Florida gardens because they hold water.
Even if Zika virus arrives in the United States, transmission can be mitigated. This species of mosquito isn’t present in CT and related mosquitoes are not likely to spread the disease within the state. The ailment results in an abnormally small head in newborns and is associated with various disorders including decreased brain development. In the majority of cases, symptoms included rash (97 percent of cases), fever and joint pain.
There have been 66 cases of the Zika virus reported in Florida so far this year.
Malloy encouraged those who traveled to affected areas to consult their doctor, especially if the person is pregnant.
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Health Department officials said Friday that they’ve been expecting Zika to show up in New Mexico eventually, but said they’re not concerned about the virus spreading in New Mexico. The department did not identify the town in which the patient lives. Eighteen of those cases have been diagnosed in pregnant women. “Mosquito bites can be more than just annoying and itchy”, writes the CDC. Symptoms of Zika virus infection can last for up to a week.
