Federal health officials in the US are urging pregnant women – and those trying to have a child – to avoid traveling to Miami’s trendy Wynwood Arts District, where a total of 15 people likely caught Zika virus.
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At this time, DOH continues to believe that active local transmissions are only occurring in the same one square mile area of Miami, Scott said. The Zika virus, which is carried by two kinds of mosquitoes, has been prevalent in nations in the Caribbean, Central America, South America and the Pacific Islands. Zika can cause birth defects.
A news release from the CDC said it awarded more than $16 million to the states and territories to establish, enhance, and maintain information-gathering systems to rapidly detect microcephaly and other adverse outcomes caused by the Zika virus.
“We do not have the main mosquito – Aedes Egypti – it does not survive our cold weather, so in that way we’re lucky to have cold weather, I suppose”, said Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago Department of Public Health.
Since February when the first travel-related cases surfaced, the state has done Zika testing on more than 2,400 people. “We are starting to see cases of transmission by mosquitos in the United States, and several counties in New Mexico are home to the Aedes mosquito that spreads this virus. This case reminds us that anyone traveling to a Zika affected area should be aware of the risks”, Felton said.
Perhaps even more unsettling was the CDC’s tally showing more than 1,650 cases of Zika have been reported in the United States.
About 80 percent of folks who are infected won’t show symptoms, and for those who do have symptoms, they are often mild, so it’s important not to dismiss them. Only one of the 85 mosquito species in Texas can spread Zika. Then a mosquito bites that person, acquiring Zika by drinking in blood, and spreads the virus by biting someone else.
Women who need to travel to infected areas should talk to their healthcare provider and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.
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In California, Los Angeles and San Diego counties far outpace other counties in the number of people with Zika.
