The CDC is working with Florida health officials to investigate what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the continental United States.
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The baby’s mother was infected while in an area with ongoing Zika transmission.
Problem is, if that someone is pregnant, it can have a host of issues on the unborn child, including microcephaly, a condition where a baby’s head is smaller than it is supposed to be, leading to brain damage and developmental issues.
As of mid-July, there had been 12 cases of infants born with Zika-related defects in the United States, according to the latest figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Hospitals that want Zika-screened products will request what they need on an on-demand basis”.
Health officials Friday continued investigating two South Florida Zika cases that might not be linked to travel to other countries. Most people infected with Zika do not become ill, and those who do have mild symptoms like fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Both mosquito species are capable of transmitting Zika virus to people.
Zika virus also can be spread through sex, so pregnant women whose male sex partners have lived in or traveled to an area with Zika virus should either use condoms or avoid sex during pregnancy.
Health officials were waiting to see whether mosquitoes collected near Miami test positive for the Zika virus.
Intensifying areas of concern for Florida health officials, on Thursday, scientists in Brazil announced they had identified the virus in Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, another mosquito that is common in Florida. The patient in the case contracted the virus while traveling outside of the country. Of the 309 cases of Zinka confirmed in New York City, nearly all were acquired by a mosquito bite while traveling overseas, 36 were pregnant women, and 3 cases were sexually transmitted.
The CDC said this week that it has provided $2 million for Zika preparedness and another $5.6 million was just allotted, the newspaper reported. The Aedes aegypti mosquito has been the main driver of the Zika virus outbreak to date, but Aedes albopictus can also transmit the disease.
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The city health department on Wednesday urged women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant to delay travel to areas affected by the virus.
