First South Dakota resident tests positive for Zika virus

In all, 42 people have caught Zika in Florida, and not from travelers.

Prior research has shown the Zika virus attacks neural progenitor cells – a type of stem cell that develops into different types of nerve or brain cells. Health officials wouldn’t say where the Pinellas resident lives. If they have antibodies to the virus but are not now infected, that could support the idea that active transmission is not still going on.

Such cases are believed to be caused by mosquito bites in Florida, while hundreds of other cases have stemmed from people bringing the virus into the state after being infected elsewhere.

A pregnant woman who wants a free Zika test or a Zika prevention kit should contact the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. “We do not have the Zika-carrying mosquitoes in South Dakota; we’re not a tropical or sub-tropical state, so there’s no risk that it’s gonna spread”, Kightlinger adds. Florida’s popular Miami Beach, including parts of South Beach, are at the center of one of the outbreaks.

Mr Scott said authorities have cleared half of the area in Wynwood believed to be the source of ongoing active transmission and were working to begin aggressive spraying and mosquito abatement efforts in Pinellas County.

Officials are looking into the possibility that the Pinellas County resident was infected with the virus in a neighboring county. That species has been reported in 26 states and Washington, D.C.

The governor has also urged Congress to release additional funding to the the state over Zika concerns. “We are developing a follow-up study to investigate how the congenital infection by Zika virus can interfere not only in the prenatal period but also in the postnatal brain maturation”. A mosquito gets infected by biting an infected person – they can not fly very far.

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Rick Scott on Tuesday announced a non-travel-related case of Zika in the Tampa Bay region. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it hard for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.