At least nine cases of the mosquito-bourne illness have been detected in Florida.
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“Today I am directing Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong to declare a public health emergency in the four counties that have individuals with the Zika virus”.
To date, 31 cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in the United States spread across 12 states.
The Department of Public Health cautions travelers, especially pregnant woman, planning to travel to countries or areas where Zika outbreaks are active. Since a year ago, the virus has exploded in Brazil and is believed to be the cause of birth defects in hundreds of newborns in that nation.
Reports it has been transmitted through sexual contact adds a new dimension to what has already been declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organisation. He urged residents to be careful if they have traveled recently to Central or South America, regions now dealing with an escalation of the disease.
Scott noted in an executive order that the type of mosquito that transmits Zika is common in Florida, where a warm climate provides for a almost year-round mosquito season.
Back in 2008, the CDC reported a possible case of a man spreading the virus to his wife through sexual contact in Colorado after becoming infected in Senegal.
Zika, which was first identified in Uganda in 1947, causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash.
The biggest concern is the risk that the virus may pose to unborn babies, so that means protecting pregnant women or women who may become pregnant is of paramount importance.
The ADPH is advising testing to be done on anyone who has traveled to an infected area and is showing symptoms of the virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Zika virus patient being treated in Dallas was not infected by a mosquito bite.
The mosquito behind the Zika virus seems to operate like a heat-driven missile of disease. “Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually transmitted infection”.
To date, 31 cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in the United States across 12 states.
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Brazil has reported almost 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly since October, but experts are puzzled as to why microcephaly is almost non-existent in other Latin countries where the virus is present.
