There are 97 reported cases of Zika virus in Texas, all associated with travel, state health officials have said.
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JetBlue airlines will allow refunds to travelers who are concerned about traveling to “Zika-impacted areas confirmed by the CDC”. Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director at Harris County Public Health, said the virus caused other medical conditions, which he said he couldn’t go into because of privacy concerns for the family, that contributed to the infant’s death. “Our central mission from the beginning has been to do everything we can to protect unborn babies from the devastating effects in Zika”.
The baby is the first Zika-related death reported in the state.
A newborn’s death in Texas is being tied to the Zika virus. All are related to traveling overseas in areas where the virus can be transmitted.
So far, Texas has had 97 cases of people infected with Zika, and all of the cases have involved individuals who had travel overseas to Zika-infested areas. “The mother and baby are classified as travel-related cases, and there is no additional associated risk in Texas”.
The department said the infant died recently, but did not say precisely when.
Federal officials last week warned pregnant women to avoid the Miami neighborhood and a 1-square-mile area around it. Those numbers could grow.
Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women in Houston now houses a new Zika clinic for pregnant women at risk for contracting the disease.
More than 7,300 Americans have been diagnosed with Zika, including 1,825 in the continental USA and Hawaii, according to the CDC.
House speaker Paul Ryan’s spokeswoman AshLee Strong said:?”Weeks ago the House of Representatives passed a $1.1 billion bill to fight the spread of Zika and control the mosquito population, and Senate Democrats have since filibustered this lifesaving bill”. It usually comes with mild symptoms, including a rash, fever and joint pain. These cases include 16 believed to be the result of sexual transmission, one that was the result of laboratory exposure, as well as six new local cases.
Microcephaly is a birth defect that causes an infant’s head to be unusually small and not grow. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and death is rare.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Monday also announced an increase in Zika education and prevention in public schools.
