State health officials had identified at least 16 cases of Zika spread by local mosquitoes in a Miami neighborhood.
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THE Cayman Islands has reported its first local transmission of the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has been spreading across the Americas since past year.
Gov. Rick Scott said in a news release Monday that the Florida Department of Health is working to determine the source of the infection.
But a new case of Zika outside in Palm Beach County could signal the Zika-carrying mosquitoes are spreading more quickly.
Scott’s comments come a day after Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida stirred controversy by saying pregnant women infected with Zika should not be able to get an abortion, even when there was evidence the baby might be born with severe microcephaly. The Zika virus poses the biggest threat to pregnant women, as it’s been linked to devastating birth defects, such as microcephaly or unusually small heads, which can lead to underdeveloped brains.
Officials believe the epicenter of the locally transmitted cases of Zika in Florida was a 1-square-mile area in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami known for its trendy restaurants, bars and shops.
The companies are selling wristbands, patches, and stickers that marketers claim can repel the mosquitoes that carry Zika or otherwise protect users from the virus.
The Governor’s Office says the person recently traveled to Miami-Dade County. In fact, Frieden said America will deal with Zika with only one hand while the Congress allows people to drown even if it has the power to stop it, The New Yorker noted.
The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection. That concern was highlighted by a new Moody’s report warning that a prolongued outbreak could hurt the stream of hotel and sales taxes that underpin large portions of debt for Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami.
In Congress, Rubio has supported bills that would ban abortion after 20 weeks and require fetal ultrasounds for women seeking to end a pregnancy. And CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden has estimated that lifetime health care costs for a microcephalic child can fall between $1 and $10 million.
“Tomorrow I will be visiting health professionals on the front lines in Miami who are confronting the Zika challenge because Washington can not keep ignoring the needs of the families of Florida”, said Clinton.
Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC notes.
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Also, numerous 55 pregnant Floridians who have been tested positive for Zika infection, all of whom traveled outside the continental US, are being treated at South Florida medical centers.
